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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948419">The Art of Writing a Murder</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/piebeards/pseuds/piebeards'>piebeards</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hannibal (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, F/F, F/M, LDR Alana &amp; Margot, M/M, Team Sassy Science (Hannibal), Writer!Hannibal, artist!Will, bi!Brian, lesbian!beverly, shop!AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:34:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,703</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27948419</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/piebeards/pseuds/piebeards</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Graham only got a job at Gideon's Specialty Groceries so he could finally apply himself to his art &amp; spend more time with his friends, what he didn't expect was to meet a handsome European writer who has a taste for exotic olive oils.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alana Bloom/Margot Verger, Will Graham &amp; Hannibal Lecter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. There's Always a Beginning to These Things</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Okay here I go, first Hannigram fic I've posted!! Any feedback would be great</p><p>I'll add more notes at the end !<br/>Enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Will had never had a day quite like this before.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will rushed inside Gideon’s Specialty Groceries, his apron clenched in his hand as he tried to make sure he was on time. His manager, Frederick, was standing at the counter with his eyes glued to his watch counting down the seconds as he waited for Will. He was always just on time, never early &amp; never late; it bothered Frederick, he thought Will didn’t take him seriously so he would wait to see if Will would ever be late so he could sit him down to talk but to his dismay once again Will clocked in at the exact time he was scheduled. Frederick looked at him, sighing before retreating back to his office to work on admin tasks. Will wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, tying his sage green apron on and adjusting his name tag. He liked his job, the customers that came were long time visitors &amp; always made time to engage with the staff; it was a healthy environment for him, his coworkers were all older helpful &amp; never expected much out of him. He went to the back, grabbed a cart of boxes to stock &amp; went to whistling as he worked.</p><p>About an hour later, he was arranging the selection of olive oils &amp; dusting bottles that had been “aging”, a term both Frederick &amp; Mr. Gideon used for older products, when a slightly older man came next to him. Will glanced out of the corner of his eye, preparing to smile his customer service grin &amp; offer help but before he could the man spoke first. “Hello, can you tell me where you moved the Ecologica la Olivilla?” His voice had a slight accent Will couldn’t pin down, his features were strong &amp; very European. Will’s voice stuck in his throat, a smile plastered across what he could assume was a dumbstruck expression; this man was incredibly handsome, well dressed &amp; Will had been single for a little too long to remember how to act around good looking people. The man smiled back at him, it was polite but a little confused &amp; he almost went to leave before Will interjected in a tone that was a little bit louder than expected. “Wait! Sorry, haha I was just thinking...” he rubbed the back of his neck, fingers anxiously tugging at a curl of his hair. “We do have some, it’s right over here. We’ve been trying a new organization system, all of them are being ordered by country of origin first then vintage &amp; finally alphabetized.” The two walked in stride, Will gesturing with his hands at bottles they passed as he tried to keep his eyes from staring too long at his newly met handsome companion.</p><p>The man was polite, nodding along to what he said and observing the system Will was rambling about. “Yeah, it’s my new project. I’m thinking about doing a lot of our bigger selections like this so it’s easier for people to find what they’re looking for &amp; maybe even something new.” Will was subconsciously punching himself for continuing to ramble &amp; making a general fool out of himself. The stranger smiled back at him again, “That’s a very good idea. I am always interested in trying new things.” His tone was polite, his eyes wandering to the section Will was now gesturing at &amp; found the bottle he was looking for. He reached next to Will, their arms just grazing each other as Will was slow to pull himself out of the way; his own punishment was his body’s immediate reaction, a flush spread from his neck across his entire face &amp; he could feel beads of sweat forming on his hands. “Oh I’m so sorry, let me just leave you to your shopping. If you need anything I’m Will.” He said, voice almost a little too fast to be polite before he made a weird small curtsy &amp; left in a few long strides. The gentleman chuckled to himself, his gaze still stuck to the employee with the bright red blush across his face.</p><p>Will moved to another aisle, hoping &amp; praying that one of his fellow coworkers wouldn’t spot him. He was absentmindedly straightening the selection of pasta when the same stranger moseyed over to the same place, his gaze focused specifically on the selection. Will swallowed hard, wiping his hands down his apron as subtlety as he could in case he needed to interact again &amp; he pretended not to spot the man. The stranger approached Will anyway, a smile still stuck on his face. “Hello Will, sorry to bother you again but maybe you could help me pick out something.”</p><p>His voice was really melodic Will mentally noted, his gaze moving from the pasta to the man standing beside him. Will’s air of professionalism creeped up, smiling back at his companion before clearing his throat. “Of course, I’d love to help.” He was focusing on his breathing as the man held out his hand to shake, “I’m Hannibal. It’s nice to meet you Will.” Will took his hand, smooth even with a few calluses on it &amp; smiled warmly at him. They stood there staring into each other’s eyes &amp; shaking hands for a few long seconds before Will lost his nerve breaking the handshake &amp; the eye contact. He knew the flush from before was coming back, his neck getting warm &amp; he tried to think of anything else beside the handsome European man in front of him showing him attention. Hannibal chuckled, “I’m hosting a dinner party &amp; I’m thinking of making something new, maybe just from the head no recipe needed.” Will nodded, he could listen to this man talk all day &amp; he’d never get bored. “That’s a bold move but it’s also a big reward. I try to do that sort of thing but I’m a bit of a mess.” He chuckled smiling wide at Hannibal, unable to stop himself. Hannibal reciprocated the smile, “Oh come now Will, I’m sure you’re not a mess.” Will just shook his head, “Don’t worry, I’m very much a mess.”</p><p>As soon as he said that, he heard footsteps behind him &amp; in came Mr. Gideon in his usual navy three piece suit. Hannibal looked from Will to the approaching man, smiling at him as well. “Well hello Abel, very nice to see you again.” Abel Gideon moved to the front of the two, firm expression but a professional smile graced his lips.</p><p>“Hannibal Lecter, how have you been? Killed anyone lately?” He wagged his eyebrow at the European customer. Will’s eyebrows rose, unable to stop himself from showing a level of confusion. Hannibal laughed, looking at Will. “I’m a writer.” He explained, Will nodding along. “I’m working on the next one now Abel. Always looking for inspiration.” His voice had an edge but he still had his polite smile on, hands clasped in front of the tan coat he was wearing. Abel laughed loudly, his hand falling to slap Hannibal jokingly on the shoulder. “Oh Dr. Lecter always the jokester. I can’t wait to see what the Ripper does next.” Hannibal looked at the hand on his shoulder, eyes quick enough only Will spotted it. “I’ll have the next one done soon enough Mr. Gideon &amp; I’ll send you a personalized autograph copy.”</p><p>Abel’s eyes grew slightly before his expression relaxed, “Is Will taking good care of you here?” He turned to Will, “Dr. Lecter here is one of our favorite customers. His dinner parties are always ones for the books.” Will nodded, smiling at his boss nervously before looking back at Hannibal. “Oh Will has been very helpful, I’m using him to help me pick out a dish I’ll be serving at the next party.” He smiled warmly just at Will, eyes gentle as they met Will’s. Abel nodded, eyes darting between the two. “Well I’ll let you get back to it Hannibal, I’ll expect an invite to the party.” He smiled, tapping Hannibal on the shoulder before heading off in the same direction he came from.</p><p>Will let out a breath, his nerves still bundled in anxiety. Hannibal’s eyes stared at him, eyes lingering on his nervous expression. “So what else can I do for you Dr. Lecter?” Will asked, turning his body toward him &amp; putting on his best customer service mask. Hannibal cracked a smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll leave a good word for you. I know Abel can be insufferable.” Will couldn’t catch his face before his eyebrows raised, clearing his throat &amp; gathering himself immediately after. “I don’t really know Mr. Gideon that well, I’ve only been working here about six months.” Hannibal nodded, the two drifting down the pasta aisle to move out of the way for a small older woman. “Well I’ve unfortunately known him for quite a while &amp; can tell you, he’s insufferable. But I love this shop &amp; he tends to hire knowledgeable staff.” Hannibal stopped them in front of the mafaldine, his eyes scanning over labels before returning to meet Will’s face. “Now, before we were rudely interrupted, you were helping me pick out some pasta?” Will chuckled &amp; nodded, turning to the selection. “Well, what kind of dish are you thinking?” His arms crossed lightly across his chest. “I’m leaving it up to you, Will. You seem like you have your head on your shoulders.” Hannibal smiled, curious to see what his companion was thinking toward. Will looked at him with a worried expression, hand coming up to nervously rub his neck again. “You think a little too much of me.” He said quietly, chuckling to himself before he let out a quiet sigh. Hannibal looked at him, patting him gently on the shoulder &amp; shaking his head. Will looked back at him, smiling back then looking back to the daunting pasta selection before him.</p><p>After a few minutes of silence, Will noticed Hannibal’s hand was still on his shoulder but didn’t move to take it off. He finally leaned over &amp; grabbed a box in mostly Italian, he understood about half the box from his lessons but couldn’t make out the rest. “Here, I’ve had this before &amp; thought it was delicious.” He handed the box to his companion, Hannibal’s hand moving off his shoulder to take it. “Ah, Mafaldine Pasta di Gragnano scelta molto eccellente Will.” His Italian flowing perfectly from his mouth. Will smiled, “Prego.” His accent off, sounding more Spanish than Italian. “Parli italiano Will?” He asked, surprised to hear him respond back. “Um...a little. I’m learning right now but it’s kind of difficult.” Hannibal nodded, placing his pasta in his basket. Hannibal opened his mouth to say something but the small older lady approached them, tapping Will’s shoulder with her frail finger.</p><p>“Hi, I just wanted to tell you two that you’re both so handsome.” Her voice had a subtle Italian accent &amp; full of warmth, smiling at the two of them. Will smiled back at her, face flushed dark red as Hannibal took her free hand &amp; laid a soft kiss on it. “Ci lusinga, sei bella anche tu.” His Italian flowing again, the woman waving him off with a coy smile. Will looked between the two, smiling with affection at how wholesome the experience was. “Mi lusinghi, riscalda il cuore di una donna anziana.” She responded, placing an arm on both of them and looked at them in turn. She gave their arms a squeeze, “Let me leave you alone. I just couldn’t help myself.” She chuckled, Hannibal leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Grazie mio caro, buona giornata.” She kissed his cheek in return before reaching up to kiss Will’s cheek as well. He blushed even harder, returning a peck on her cheek. “Thank you so much. If you need any help, I’m Will &amp; I’m always around.” She nodded, slowly walking away and leaving them to their thoughts. Will looked at Hannibal, hands clasped in front of him &amp; he cleared his throat again. “Well, if there’s anything else I can help you with Dr. Lecter please don’t hesitate. I’ll leave you to your shopping in peace.” He smiled &amp; nodded at the doctor before walking down the aisle, trying to gain control of his composure.</p><p>Most of his shifts were uneventful but today was almost too much, he was still slightly flushed &amp; he could feel his nerves still on edge. He was absentmindedly stocking a new aisle, straightening the packaging &amp; wiping the dust away. Absorbed in his own mind he didn’t even hear Hannibal approach him, his thoughts elsewhere. “Will.” Hannibal said softly, trying &amp; still failing to not scare him; Will jumped in return, almost dropping a bottle of overly expensive imported vinegar. Hannibal caught the bottle by the bottom just in case, an apologetic look on his face. “Sorry, I was trying not to scare you.” Will just shook his head, “I’m sorry, thank you for catching that. I don’t think even a month's salary could pay for that.” He said quietly, the creep of blush coming back across his neck. “Do you need some help?” Will asked, trying to ignore the fluster on his skin. Hannibal smiled warmly, “I actually wanted to ask if you’d like to come to dinner tomorrow night. I wanna try out a few things before my party &amp; I’d like to thank you properly for all your help.” Will definitely couldn’t ignore the flutter that burst in his stomach, his flush spread fast across his cheeks. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m always here to help.” He smiled, his hands starting to shake. “Nonsense, I’d like you to come.” He took the bottle from Will’s hand, placing it back on the shelf. “Only of course if you’d like, I’m not going to force you.” Will shook his head, almost a little too quick, “Of course I’d love to!” He said, noting the overeagerness seeping into his voice. Hannibal smiled wide, “Excellent. When I leave, we can exchange information.” Will nodded, returning the smile &amp; noticing the same older woman watching them from an aisle over with a satisfied grin on her face.</p><p>Hannibal left him to his work, Will finished up the box he was stocking &amp; walked to the back. He stopped in the break room, spotting his favorite coworker Georgia as she read the paper &amp; sipped her coffee. “Hi Georgia. How are you?” He stood across from her, hands on the back of the chair. She looked up, smiling at him. “What’s got you red Will?” Her eyebrow raised in curiosity. Will cleared his throat, the flush only getting worse &amp; his eyes wandering across the room. “Oh just uh, working hard.” He mumbled, knowing he couldn’t really lie to Georgia. She shook her head, still smiling at him. “Don’t work too hard, don’t want Chilton thinking you’re sucking up to him.” She looked back at the paper, sipping her coffee again &amp; Will laughed. “I think he’s just waiting for me to trip up.” Georgia laughed back, “Well, he’ll be waiting for a while. You’re probably one of the hardest workers here that hasn’t been here for ten years.” Her eyes still skimming the paper, an article about a new art museum sucking her in. Will shrugged, “I’ll let you get back to it.” He knew when Georgia was reading &amp; didn’t want to disturb her or else she would start prying more on why he was so flustered.</p><p>He stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath before he pushed it open.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ah! First chapter! Hope you enjoyed!<br/>All Italian is from google translate so sorry if it doesn't make sense!<br/>Also I googled olive oil brands, I am not that cultured. <br/>Leave kudos &amp; comments if you enjoyed :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nora Ephron Who?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If you run into someone enough will you fall in love?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The long awaited next chapter! Sorry for the lateness, hope you enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will walked past the deli section, waving at their new hire Franklyn as Frederick showed him a section of dried meats. Frederick gave him a hard stare, Franklyn excitedly waving at him before being scolded for not paying attention. Will ducked away, going to stash himself toward refrigerated foods to avoid Frederick’s watchful glare. As he looked behind him, hoping he wasn’t followed by his manager he bumped into a firm body almost losing his balance. Today was not his day was all he could think, turning to hold &amp; apologize to the person to discover he’d found Dr. Lecter again.</p>
<p>“Oh god I’m sorry Dr. Lecter. I was just trying to hide, I should have been looking where I was going. Are you okay? Did I step on your feet?” His hands were on the man’s arms, muscular arms Will noted to himself, his expression exasperated. Hannibal just chuckled &amp; smiled at him, “I’m fine Will, nothing to worry about. May I ask what you’re hiding from?” Will chewed on his bottom lip, not realizing he still had his hands on his companion. “If I tell you can you promise not to make fun of me?” He asked, moving his hands slowly down off Hannibal's arms.</p>
<p>Hannibal raised an eyebrow, nodding. “Well the manager keeps waiting for me to slip up so I try to stay out of his way if I can. He thinks I don’t take my job as seriously as I should.” Will whispered, leaning closer to the man &amp; looking around to make sure no one could overhear him. Hannibal nodded, eyes locked with Will’s briefly before Will looked away &amp; leaned back a blush creeping on him again. “That’s an unfortunate thing to think. You’ve helped me more than I could say, I think you take your job as seriously as one should.” Hannibal remarked, putting a careful hand on the brunette’s shoulder. Will moved his free shoulder, hand already instinctively pulling at the back of his hair. “Thank you Dr. Lecter, that’s a very kind thing to say.” Hannibal gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “You worry too much Will.” He smiled &amp; slid his hand back down to hold his basket. Will laughed, shaking his head &amp; letting out a long sigh, “You don’t know the half of it.” The statement brought a chuckle out of the European, Will noticing small crinkles around his eyes. “I will truly leave you be Dr. Lecter, I’m sure you can’t get much done around me.” He smiled back, feeling a little extra brave &amp; tapped his companion lightly on the shoulder then walking to another aisle before his body could betray him with a new reddened layer of blush. He felt eyes on his back but didn’t turn, trying to hold the confidence he’d already found &amp; assisting someone walking in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Georgia waved at Will from the register, motioning to the back room &amp; Will nodded at her. He checked his watch, it was his turn to hold down the register so Georgia could help check in the shipment. “Thanks Will, soon I’ll have to show you how to do this too.” She smiled, patting his bicep as they traded places. The smaller Italian woman from earlier walked up to to the till casually, smiling warmly at Will as she saw him. “Hello again handsome Will.” Her tone was warm &amp; polite. Will couldn’t help when his body flushed a light pink, chuckling &amp; shaking his head at her. “You flatter me too much. I hope you found everything okay today.” He unpacked her basket, his fingers typing away at codes without having to take a second look. She watched with a twinkle in her eye &amp; he’d swear the look in her eyes made it seem like she had something up her sleeve. He carefully packaged everything in a paper bag, reading her total off &amp; waiting for her credit card to process. He handed her the card with a receipt, “Thank you so much for coming in today. I hope to see you again soon.” He smiled, her hands clasping around his &amp; she met his eyes with a retuning wide smile. “Oh you will &amp; I hope to hear how dinner goes between you two.” She winked, releasing his hands as footsteps approached behind her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She glanced back to see Hannibal, the same smile on her lips as their eyes met next. “Good bye doctor, it was lovely to meet you.” She winked, taking her bag &amp; sauntering out of the store the eyes of the two men on her back. Will &amp; Hannibal both let out a chuckle, turning to look at each other over the counter. “She seems to know something we don’t.” Hannibal said, unloading his basket along with Will. Their hands both reached for the pasta, fingers just grazing before Will moved quickly out of the way. “Sorry about that.” He mumbled, grabbing the olive oil from beside it before he started punching in codes. Hannibal watched curiously, Will’s fingers punching in long barcodes without having to take a second glance &amp; carefully setting it aside for packing.</p>
<p>“Do you have a piece of paper &amp; a pen I may borrow?” Hannibal asked as Will finished typing in the last code, grabbing a paper bag. “Oh of course.” Will replied, eyes darting side to side looking for the notepad. He didn’t notice his hands were shaking until he grabbed the paper, letting out a short quiet sigh as a way to calm himself before turning back to face the handsome customer. He carefully set the paper &amp; pen down in front of him, consciously aware of where their hands might touch. Hannibal nodded in thanks, his handwriting was of course as elegant &amp; good looking as he was. Will watched him write down his information, a phone number &amp; an address; he’d already forgotten the dinner he agreed to &amp; could feel his heart start to pick up again.</p>
<p>Hannibal carefully tore out the piece of paper, laying it next to the pad &amp; then turning it to Will. He held the pen out, a sly smile creeping onto his face as he saw the nervous energy in Will’s eyes looking back at him. “We’re exchanging information, remember?” Hannibal said softly, waiting for Will to take the pen from him. Will nodded a little too eagerly, taking the pen carefully as to avoid anymore accidental touches. He took his time writing making sure it was legible but it wasn’t even close to the same league as the writing he’d received, his handwriting was chicken scratch not very many could make out. He tore the paper, managing to almost rip it too early before folding it &amp; packaging up Hannibal’s groceries. “I want to thank you for your help today, this has been one of my favorite trips to Gideon’s.” He said, taking the folded paper &amp; carefully sliding it into his long bifold leather wallet. Will swallowed, his palms sweaty against the packages he was loading into the paper bag in front of him. “I’m glad to be of help, I’m sure you’re just saying that to make me feel better about bumping into you so much. Sorry again for that, I’ll definitely be looking out.” He chuckled nervously, taking the man’s credit card from the counter.</p>
<p>Their machine whirred quietly, he hoped this wasn’t the time for it to lag &amp; keep the customer in limbo but his wish went unanswered. “Not a problem at all Will, I just happened to miss my mark a few times.” Hannibal replied, meeting Will’s eyes again &amp; smiling at him. Will saw the crinkles around his eyes &amp; couldn’t help but smile back at him, the man’s expression was so full of fondness he’d thought they’d been friends for a long time. Finally the credit machine beeped, allowing Will to take the card back &amp; grab the receipt. “Here you are Dr. Lecter, it’s been a pleasure helping you today.” Their fingers grazed, a little static moving from one man to the other &amp; they both jumped a little. “I’ll speak to you later about the details for dinner tomorrow. I’ll be looking forward to it.” Hannibal’s smile unwavering as he grabbed his items &amp; nodded at Will. “Until tomorrow.” He said, walking out &amp; turning his back to open the door to get one last look at Will.</p>
<p>Will waved, his hand shaking lightly &amp; a definite shade of blush across his face. “Till tomorrow Dr. Lecter.” He responded before the man was gone, Will letting out a low sigh. He knew he’d been single for a while but the interaction he’d shared with the man was sending his body so many directions &amp; signals he felt like he needed to sit down to stew over them. Will helped a few more customers, the interactions blurring in his head as he could only think about his mysterious dinner date the next day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before Will knew it his watch beeped &amp; he looked up from the exotic spice aisle to hear the door chime. His relief, Abigail, walked in &amp; waved at him happily. She’d just gotten the job a few weeks ago after her father suggested it to Frederick, citing they could use another set of hands around. Will smiled &amp; waved back at her, he didn’t even realize his shift was already over for the day. His brain had moved from different methods of organization of exotic (&amp; expensive) items to the interactions he’d shared with Hannibal earlier in the day. He headed to the back to meet up with Abigail &amp; get ready to leave, stopping to say bye to Garrett &amp; Franklyn behind the deli counter. Abigail &amp; Will exchanged a few courteous words, hellos &amp; how are you’s before they went their separate ways.</p>
<p>Will untied his apron, washing his hands &amp; grabbing his water bottle from his locker before clocking out. As he walked out of the back Georgia called to him from the counter, waving a piece of paper. It was the note Hannibal had given him with his information, Will didn’t notice he’d forgotten it when he switched back with Georgia. He quickly walked over, snatching the paper from her hands as she giggled like a schoolgirl. “Did you get yourself a date young William?” She asked, leaning her head in her hands &amp; staring into Will’s eyes. He rolled his eyes in response before walking away, “Sorry Georgia, gotta run! Picking up Alana from the airport.” He said quickly, walking out the door with a wave behind him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for not posting for so long!!!<br/>I have been extremely busy working (retail in the holidays during a pandemic, a mighty combo) but here it is! I'll be trying to update regularly from now on!</p>
<p>Find me on twitter! @piebeards</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A New World Hangs Outside the Window</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>So you're telling me your friends don't pry insistently into your life? Weird.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter 3 is here!!! Finally time to meet the gang &amp; have Will do some ~artsy~ things.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Traffic was a little worse than he’d anticipated &amp; he was stuck sitting behind a long line for the exit to the airport. He looked at the note sitting in the passenger side with his stuff &amp; he reached for his phone, grabbing the eloquently written phone number with it. He typed in his number, staring at the blinking line beside the ‘Hi’ he’d typed up &amp; chewed on his lip nervously. Was it too early for him to text Hannibal? What exactly was the interaction? His phone went black &amp; he looked back at the line in front of him, he always thought too much in these situations. Before he could drift into his thoughts too much his phone vibrated in his hand, his brain refocusing &amp; he looked at the notification. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Hello Will, thank you again for your help today &amp; I hope it’s not too forward of me to send you a message about tomorrow night’s dinner.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Hope to hear from you soon, </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Hannibal” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will chuckled softly, shaking his head &amp; looking back up to see the traffic start to shift. He was thinking about his response as he finally moved into his exit &amp; got closer to the airport. He pulled up to the pickup area ten minutes later, texting his friend Alana where he was before going to the previous screen to his text from Hannibal. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Hi, I’m always happy to help-“ </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He then sighed, typing &amp; erasing a few other things, he wasn’t sure what to say without seeming too easy. Alana threw open the door &amp; smiled wide at her friend, “Will! Thank you, sorry my plane was running a little behind.” She climbed into the car, tossing a bag in the back behind her &amp; half hugging Will. “I was actually running late too so it worked out. How was Washington?” He flipped his phone over in his lap &amp; turned to look at Alana, realizing the line to leave wasn’t going to be moving. Alana sighed, her smile a little smaller &amp; looked back at Will. “It was good, too short. I always want to bring her back home with me.” Alana sighed again, looking at her hands in her lap. Will placed his hand on hers, “Don’t worry it won’t be too much longer. I know the situation isn’t ideal but soon she’ll be finished with her internship &amp; you two can be together.” Alana nodded, smiling at their hands &amp; then looking back up to Will’s face. “How have you been? I see you’ve got a little note here...” she said, her hands moving to the piece of paper under Will’s phone. He doesn’t register it before she’s plucked it out &amp; reads it, her eyes going wide with a smile to match. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh my god, is this a phone number?” She asks excitedly, Will covering his face with his hands to cover his blush &amp; laughing quietly to himself. He peeked between his fingers, looking at Alana’s excited expression &amp; moving his hands to his phone. “I was typing a message to him &amp; right after I gave up, he texted me this.” Will unlocked his phone &amp; showed the message to Alana, waiting for her expression to change. She smiled warmly, looking from the screen up to Will’s eyes, “He sounds very classy.” He rolled his eyes, shaking his head at her. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He is. I’d never met him before but the way he looked at me, I haven’t seen someone look at me like that in a long time.” He said, words quietly fading as he spoke. She raised an eyebrow at him, eyes scanning his face as he started to stare off &amp; she pat him on the shoulder. “I know it’s been a while but it’s time, you deserve to meet some classy man to whisk you away &amp; let you do your art all day long in those dumb overalls you like to wear.” Alana smiled, her hand resting on his reassuringly. “Trust me, the time you least expect it is when things happen.” Will nodded, remembering how Alana had met her long time girlfriend Margot at a party she wasn’t even supposed to be at. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you think I should say?” He laughed, unlocking his phone &amp; staring at the message again. “I feel like I’m 15 again trying to figure out how to text a crush.” He watched as the line blinked next to his half typed out response &amp; he had a flashback of being a gay teenager with too many crushes on straight boys. Alana took the phone from him, typing quickly &amp; sending a message for him. His eyes grew before she handed it back, a smug grin on her face. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Hi Hannibal, it was great meeting you today &amp; I’m glad I could be of help. Is there anything you’d like me to bring? I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s not that hard Will, just try to ride the wave y’know?” Alana replied, clicking on her seatbelt &amp; checking her own phone. Will laughed at her, she always had a nonchalant attitude on the surface when she needed to but could toughen up &amp; support anyone like a professional. Alana stared intently at her phone, Will glancing back to the traffic to see an opening &amp; pulling out headed to their shared house. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ride home was silent except a quiet song playing on the radio, Alana texting back &amp; forth with her girlfriend Margot. Will’s mind started building scenarios of what he imagined his date to be like, remembering terrible dates of his past; one where his date showed up 30 minutes late &amp; was already drunk, another where he’d been left halfway through then had to pay for a dinner for two. He shook his head, merging lanes &amp; deciding on listening to music instead. Alana glanced at him, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing as she listened to the Radiohead song with her friend in silence. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They pulled up to their house to see an extra car, Will groaned as he parked &amp; looked at Alana. “Don’t bring up Hannibal in front of these three, I’ll never hear the end of it. Besides we haven’t even gone out yet.” Alana laughed &amp; nodded at him, “You worry too much Will.” She was out of the car first, opening the back to grab her bag and then walking to Will’s side with a curious smile. “C’mon I won’t tell anybody. Lets go inside.” Will sighed, climbing out of the car and following her inside. </p>
<p>His phone vibrated, his hand instinctively tapping his pocket and he stopped behind Alana. As the door opened, voices already starting to ring out in what Will only could assume was an argument about something hypothetical he took a deep breath to prepare and then walked again behind Alana who stopped at the door. “Alana! So glad you’re here, you can help us solve a problem.” Jimmy said, his voice ringing out over the others. </p>
<p>Will &amp; Alana walked into a cacophony of sound, the trio of their friends arguing while a documentary that Beverly had turned up far too loud provided a background noise. He rubbed his temples on the right side of his head &amp; sighed, Alana taking turns hugging everyone as they began to shift to their hellos. She sat at the end next to Beverly &amp; Jimmy looked at her expectantly. </p>
<p>Will waved to everyone as he continued past them, heading straight for his room to have a moment of peace. “Fine we didn’t want to talk to you anyway Will!” Beverly yelled after him, taking a swig from her beer &amp; laughing. Will glanced behind him &amp; flipped her off, a smile on his face as he saw her almost choke on her beer. She smiled back, rolling her eyes &amp; dismissing him with a wave of her hand. He chuckled, continuing down the hallway &amp; closing himself into his room. </p>
<p>He laid across his bed, feet hovering just above the floor &amp; he closed his eyes. A few quiet moments later he reached into his pocket, hand fishing out his phone and he slowly opened his eyes to read his message. </p>
<p>
  <em> “All you will need to bring is yourself &amp; an empty stomach. I will take care of it all. Is 7 a good time for you?”  </em>
</p>
<p>Will could still imagine Hannibal’s accent in his head, then he shook his head &amp; started to type his reply. </p>
<p>
  <em> “That’s perfect.”  </em>
</p>
<p>He thought for another second before sending it, overthinking absolutely nothing like he always does &amp; putting his phone down. He laid there, his eyes staring at the ceiling as he listened to the echo of his friends yelling from down the hallway. </p>
<p>After a long moment, he sat up &amp; walked to his work desk. He flipped through a few pieces he had sketched out, finding one he liked the best &amp; setting it aside. He tried not to think of his phone as he set it down &amp; changed into his pottery overalls, his brain dwelling on Hannibal’s interaction. Will gathered his sketch, a few extra tools &amp; pocketed his phone without glancing at it. He slipped down to the basement, locking the door behind him &amp; walked to his stereo. </p>
<p>Will had an old iPod classic hooked up to a boom box, everyone couldn’t understand why he hadn’t upgraded but he just liked what he liked. He enjoyed scrolling through his music, thumb sliding around the dial as he scrolled down to 'Sound &amp; Color' by Alabama Shakes &amp; clicked the first song. He set down his sketch by his wheel, tools laid out on a table beside it &amp; walked to his hunk of clay. </p>
<p>Whenever he was stressed or felt his brain was overworked, he loved nothing more than sculpting downstairs. Will loved his friends but being alone is what he preferred, especially now as his brain concocted more theories about what his dinner might be like tomorrow. He hummed to himself as he cut off a slice of his material, toting it back to his wheel &amp; slapping it down on the surface. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will cut &amp; carved, all focus now on his newest piece; almost forgetting the ruckus upstairs &amp; his made up scenarios. Suddenly his phone beeped, he froze &amp; turned not even realizing that he’d turned the sound on. He set his tool down, wiping his hands down his pant legs &amp; walking to the source of the disturbance. He tapped the screen, eyes skimming across the message on the screen. </p>
<p>
  <em> “Dinner will be ready soon doofus, don’t make us come down there and bust up the sad boy party” </em>
</p>
<p>Will rolled his eyes, Beverly always made sure everyone ate dinner whether she cooked it or ordered it. </p>
<p>He carefully typed his response with his least clay stained finger. </p>
<p>
  <em> “I’ll be up soon, in the middle of it” </em>
</p>
<p>He walked back to his work, briefly pausing to change his music. He hit the shuffle all, quiet strumming starting as he sat back down. The melodic vocals of Rosyln played, Will glancing up to the speaker &amp; letting out a quiet sigh. He picked up his shaper, pushing around the middle form &amp; lost himself to his work. His music continued in the same sad vein, similar quiet guitar &amp; haunting vocals reminding him of times past. </p>
<p>An hour later his phone beeped again, pulling him up to the surface again as his focus lessened on his piece. He looked at the direction of his phone then back to his piece, a familiar face looked back at him. It was his own but instead of his own eyes they were someone else’s, he furrowed his brows &amp; stared in confusion. He had become so lost in his thoughts they reflected in front of him, a pair of smaller more intense eyes looking back at him; soft crinkles around the edges &amp; a curiosity in the stare. </p>
<p>He set the piece down &amp; put his head in his hands, the eyes he was thinking about so intently he sculpted were Hannibal’s. He’d met him once &amp; suddenly he couldn’t think of anything else like some awestruck teenager, embarrassment crept in on him. </p>
<p>His phone dinged once again, he looked up &amp; watched as it dinged three more times; definitely Beverly, he needed to go or else they were barging down here to get him. He stood up, not giving his piece another glance as he walked to turn off his music. He grabbed his phone, glancing at multiple messages from Beverly &amp; then he saw it; Hannibal had messaged him too. The embarrassing feeling growing heavier in his head, he put his phone in his pocket &amp; went back upstairs. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed :) </p>
<p>Title is from Sound &amp; Color by Alabama Shakes, I'm currently working on a playlist to companion the fic! Once I have more I hope to post it with chapter four or five!</p>
<p>Can't wait for y'all to read more !! Leave comments &amp; kudos if you enjoy, they give me serotonin</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. You Dim Sum, You Lose Sum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dinner with the family is always awkward isn't it?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will took a deep breath before walking into the dining room where everyone was sitting &amp; talking over Chinese from their favorite delivery place. He smiled at everyone, taking his usual spot &amp; grabbing a carton of lo mein to pour on his plate. </p><p>“Bout time, we were getting our battering ram ready to get you outta there.” Beverly said, watching as he made himself a plate of food. Alana chuckled, taking a swig of her beer &amp; looking to her friend, “How’s it going down there? Your music seemed a little moody.”</p><p>Will let out a laugh, shaking his head &amp; returning her stare. “That’s what you get when you shuffle everything &amp; aren’t more careful. I kind of space out anyway.” He started eating, his mind wandering back to the figure he’d sculpted &amp; finding himself only thinking about the eyes again. Brian &amp; Jimmy finally stopped filling their face to start talking again, this time they had their sights set on Will. </p><p>“Will, question.” Jimmy said, setting his glass down &amp; looking directly across from him at Will. </p><p>Will glanced up, mouth full of noodles &amp; nodded in gesture to continue. Jimmy leaned in, “Have you ever read any of the Chesapeake Ripper books?” Will raised an eyebrow &amp; shook his head, finishing his mouthful. He took a sip of his water as Jimmy pulled a book from his bag on the floor. Will had a mild interest in true crime but his friends were always in it, obsessed he called it but they preferred passionate &amp; subjected him to sharing his opinions on their podcast; they loved how vivid his imagination was. </p><p>Jimmy set down a book, the cover had an exotic bunch of flowers artfully arranged &amp; he tapped it. “So in this particular one, the killer intertwines an entire body into a tree. I was wondering if you could help me create an actual rendition of it. We wanna try to get the author’s attention so he’ll be on the show.” Will raised his eyebrow &amp; shrugged, “Yeah I guess I could help you. What’s so special about the author?” He picked up the book, looking closer at the art designed on the cover. </p><p>“Well the books are huge but also he lives close by, we think it’d really bring in some good viewership. We’re about to take our next trip soon &amp; could use it.” Brian said, leaning in with Jimmy &amp; Jimmy nodded in agreement. Will flipped the book over, reading the small synopsis &amp; then glanced toward the bottom to read the about the author. His eyes grew &amp; he was grateful he was looking down so no one could see as he read Hannibal Lecter as the author’s name; a small portrait was next to a small but vague biography. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <em>Hannibal Lecter was born in Lithuania &amp; moved to the United States after spending time learning at various schools around Europe. He currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland; when he’s not killing people as the Chesapeake Ripper, he enjoys cooking &amp; playing the harpsichord. </em> </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Will let his expression relax, looking back at the two eager men in front of him awaiting his response. He nodded, “Yeah I can do it for you guys, can I borrow the book?” He could feel his toe tapping quietly under the table, his anxiety starting to rise as he worried if they could tell he knew something they didn’t. Jimmy nodded quickly, clapping his hands together &amp; smiling at his friend. “Of course! If you like it, I have them all you’re more than welcome to borrow.” Will smiled back &amp; nodded, setting the book beside him carefully. </p><p>Beverly looked at him, saying nothing as she slowly chewed her food &amp; tried to read his expression. Alana glanced between the two of them, looking at Will again &amp; clearing her throat. “So how was work, Will? I heard that you guys got a new hire.” She could tell the cogs were turning in Beverly’s head, Will was noticeably looking at the back of the book next to him. Will nodded, “Yeah he’s in the deli with Garrett. He seems nice, kind of a people pleaser. I'm sure Frederick will love that.” They both let out a small laugh, Will looking at the book again before he continued eating.</p><p>Beverly took a sip of her beer, carefully setting the bottle down before she opened her mouth. “Why do you keep staring at the back of the book like that?” She asked, tone curious &amp; prying for information. Will stopped chewing, closed his eyes &amp; swallowed all the food in his mouth hard, almost choking on a piece of General Tso chicken before he looked back at Beverly. They made eye contact for a few silent seconds, everyone’s attention now on the two as they waited to see what would happen. </p><p>Finally Will broke the eye contact, taking a sip of his water &amp; shrugging. “It seems interesting, that’s all.” He knew he didn’t sound sure but he still tried to act as nonchalant as he could. She raised an eyebrow back at him, taking her turn to lean in closer &amp; watch his face. Alana chewed on her lip nervously, she had connected the dots when they brought the book out. She’d read a few of the series with the trio as part of their book club, the author’s name clicking as the name she’d seen written in elegant script on a piece of paper earlier with Will &amp; she knew Beverly could pry it out. </p><p>“You’re right, I like that one the best. The way Hannibal Lecter writes the killer is so fascinating, a truly untouchable force.” Beverly replied, leaning back but never breaking her stare with Will. He nodded, “I’ve never heard of him before but I’ll keep that in mind.” Alana looked at him, trying to casually raise her eyebrows to warn him but Beverly caught on. </p><p>“Alright you two, spill it. There’s a secret among us.” She said, sitting forward again &amp; looking between her roommates. Jimmy &amp; Brian glanced at each other with a confused expression, like they only knew half of a conversation. Alana sighed, “Will has a date tomorrow.” She mumbled, her expression was apologetic as Will turned to her. Beverly’s face immediately changed, a wide smile grew across her face. “Will has a date?!” She repeated, loudly &amp; with an unhealthy amount of enthusiasm. </p><p>Will groaned, his head thumping against the book next to him &amp; he said nothing to confirm or deny. Alana nodded, “A guy invited him to dinner tomorrow night. A customer from work.” She knew if she gave enough information Beverly would be satisfied &amp; she was right, Beverly stood up in a big gesture rushing to the side of Will’s chair. “I’m so excited for you!” She hugged him, patting him on the back reassuringly. Jimmy just shook his head, uninterested in the emotional roller coaster happening in front of him &amp; started checking his phone. Brian pursed his lips, a string of jealousy tugging in his chest &amp; he too started looking at his phone but as a distraction from the emotions bubbling up in his own head. </p><p>Will mumbled indistinguishably, his head still resting on the book &amp; the table as he tried to ignore the embarrassment he was feeling. Beverly playfully pushed him up, “C’mon Graham, it’s gonna be great &amp; I promise I won’t pry anymore until after.” She smiled, meeting his eyes &amp; patting him on the back again. Will didn’t respond but smiled back at her, he was excited about his date but his track record wasn’t exactly perfect &amp; it’d given him a pessimistic streak that was hard to ignore. He went back to eating his food, this time making a point of not looking at the book beside him anymore so he wouldn’t draw any extra attention. </p><p>Just like nothing happened, Jimmy started droning on about a case he’d found online that was unsolved in Portland &amp; Will tuned out. He finished his food, taking his plate &amp; the book with him as he left the room. He dropped his plate off in the sink, grabbed himself a fortune cookie from the little pile in the kitchen &amp; went to his room to read. </p><p>He changed out of his clay stained overalls for a sweater &amp; a pair of hole filled sweatpants that screamed ‘disgusting &amp; comfortable’ before settling in his bed to read. Will examined the cover again, noting the flowers they’d chosen &amp; how the color scheme looked. He’d never read any of these books but he’d noticed the covers before, always artsy gore vague enough to not be unsettling. </p><p>He read the dedication page, just one name ‘Mischa’ &amp; a thanks to the readers. Will didn’t pry for too long before just diving into the book, phrases that laid thick with metaphors &amp; scenes described so well the pictures painted themselves in his head. Before he knew it he’d gotten to the last chapter, only a small chunk of the book in front of him &amp; he felt a tinge of sadness for not taking his time but a feeling of admiration for the author who’d captivated his attention so well. As he read the last words, Chesapeake ripper still not caught but the attention captivated by his cycle of crime.  Without thinking, Will grabbed his phone &amp; texted Hannibal. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I just finished Futamono &amp; wow, I’m worried you’re gonna think I’m an absolute idiot tomorrow when I open my mouth.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He sent the text without a second thought, then realizing how ridiculous he sounded he tried to stop it &amp; noticed it was 3:30 in the morning. Immediately he buried his face in his pillow &amp; screamed, the sounds muffled perfectly to avoid disturbing anyone nearby. Will screamed till he ran out of breath &amp; then closed his eyes, ‘You’re absolutely unbelievable Will, you’re texting a guy your desperate thoughts at almost 4am’ </p><p>Before he could continue his self punishment his phone vibrated, he flew up &amp; stared at the screen anxious of the reply. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I don’t think you’ll sound like an idiot.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Will sighed, shaking his head but a smile cracked &amp; he typed back. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I think you give me a lot of credit. Your writing is really a work of art. Like nothing I could ever hope to create but I’d definitely try.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>His anxiety was subsiding, he was gaining the late night confidence he wished he could harness all the time. Hannibal was quick to respond again, the phone buzzing in Will’s hand. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “You flatter me, I must see some of your art sometime. I believe you fully capable of creating something even more beautiful than I.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Will’s face flushed, rereading the text &amp; rubbing his neck instinctively; he couldn’t stop the wide smile stuck to his face.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Maybe I’ll make you something instead of bringing something for dinner.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He chewed on his lip before sending the text, letting out a nervous sigh &amp; curling up in his bed staring at his screen anxiously. Before he could feel true regret for being ballsy, his phone lit up in his hand. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I would feel very honored, Will.”  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Will’s smile grew even bigger, feeling a flush across his face &amp; he pulled his blanket up hiding from no one but himself. He stared at the screen, thinking about the timeline of the day that’d led to him texting a guy for the first time in a long time &amp; actually feeling this teenage flutter of butterflies in his stomach. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Well, I’ll have to ask you a few questions so I know what to make.”  </em>
</p><p>Will chuckled quietly to himself, he was flirting at almost 4am with a man he hadn’t even gone out with yet. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Ask away.” </em>
</p><p>He chewed on his lip, thinking of something easy to start with. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Easy one, what’s your favorite color?”  </em>
</p><p>Almost no time before the response, as if Hannibal too was just staring at his phone in anticipation. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Vermilion. What about you?”  </em>
</p><p>Will raised his eyes at the specificity, impressed he had an exact shade to name. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “I’m an earth tone person, greens are what I like the best. What about your favorite food to eat?”  </em>
</p><p>Another instant response, leaving no anxious waiting. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Tough to decide, I make so many foods I enjoy &amp; to narrow it down… How about what I had for dinner tonight? Beggar’s clay chicken.”   </em>
</p><p>Will raised an eyebrow, sliding from his messages to search whatever beggar's clay chicken was &amp; as he read through recipes falling into a hole of research about ‘food lore’ his eyes grew heavy before the words blurred &amp; he fell asleep. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hehehe, hope you're ready for some more sculptor Will next chapter &amp; right now I'm really thinking about a fashion montage. (Who knows what my brain is like)<br/>see u next week &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Time to Step with a Fresh Pack of Gum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Will Graham likes parody songs pass it on.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Will woke up an hour later, his phone buzzing to warn his low battery &amp; as he plugged it in he could see the crack of sunlight just barely starting to peek through the bottom of his curtains. He rubbed his eyes &amp; rolled away from the window, wrapping himself back up in his blanket falling back asleep pretty quickly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he slept, his brain began imagining his dinner tomorrow with this new found excitement; the dinner set in an elegantly decorated dining room, low lights above the two as some dish Will had only seen in a Gordon Ramsay recipe video was placed in front of him &amp; a glass of wine poured. He looked at Hannibal as he sat down to his left &amp; their eyes met, a smile slowly spreading across Hannibal’s face as Will’s flushed red before he looked down at the food. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will cut himself a piece of lamb but before the food touched his mouth, his alarm went off. He didn’t have to work but he knew better than to sleep all day on his day off so he always had an alarm for 9am. He groaned, hand finding its way to the screen to stop the disturbance &amp; he finally silenced the annoyance before his eyes slowly crept open to his mostly dark room. He mentally thanked himself again for buying black out curtains after finding them on sale, yawning &amp; grabbing his phone to check his notifications. Hannibal had texted him again after he’d fallen asleep, Will’s eyes widened a little at the alert &amp; remembered his late night bravery after finishing the book. He checked other notifications first, not really paying attention as he purged his daily emails before finally tapping on the message. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I assume you’ve fallen asleep, I hope you rest well &amp; I look forward to our dinner tonight. Good night Will.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled at the message &amp; then rolled his eyes at himself, how could he seriously be like this with a guy he’d met once? He felt like he’d slipped into a scene from Carol, instant connection he just couldn’t explain. He exited the message &amp; decided against texting him back, not feeling the courage he felt the night before. He set his phone down &amp; sat up, looking around his room keeping his ear out for his roommates. The silence assured him of being home alone &amp; he got himself out of bed, putting his overalls back on letting out another yawn. He slid his phone in the pocket, grabbing a clay &amp; paint stained cardigan from the back of his desk chair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Will walked to the kitchen, relishing the now quiet house &amp; grabbed himself a mug from a cabinet. He put the kettle on, leaning against the counter &amp; looking out the small window above their sink. Will’s mind began to wonder across the plain behind their house, the wind blowing through his curls as he chased his grandpa’s dog; he always remembered the summers his grandpa took them fishing at the creek behind the plain, bringing his dog Buster as company. Before Will could take the whole trip down memory lane, the kettle whistled angrily &amp; broke his focus. He blinked his eyes back in focus, making himself a cup of coffee with their faded aeropress. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After he finished making his coffee he wasted no time going back down to his basement studio, his brain turning over ideas to make Hannibal. He hadn’t really asked any useful questions except what his favorite color was &amp; even that wouldn’t be inherently useful till later on. He decided it wouldn’t be anything too elaborate, he’d given himself a very small window to sculpt, bake &amp; paint before dinner. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He walked back to his stereo, this time picking a playlist he’d made called ‘Good Morning Asshole’, a chuckle following as the first song began playing. He turned up the volume as Debra by Beck played loudly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Will took a long sip of his coffee, the warmth hitting his chest &amp; he let out a content sigh as he looked at the clay in front of him. He set his mug down on his side table beside his tools, then he cut a small slab off. As he held it, he moved his project from the night before out of his way, spending an extra second staring at it again &amp; shaking his head before reaching to put it on his shelf of half finished projects behind him. He set the new clay down &amp; went to work, finding himself singing along to his music. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He took long sips of his coffee, trying not to forget about it before it got cold between different steps. He smiled at his project, feeling a rare good mood bubbling up inside him &amp; he continued singing to himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After about an hour he’d finished his coffee, the sculpting &amp; most of his playlist. He picked up a detail tip, bringing it close to make sure everything looked exactly like he wanted it to &amp; carefully worked on minor details before finally letting out a satisfied sigh. He set down his tool, looking at his work before standing up to take it to bake. He usually liked letting his pieces dry out on their own but he’d been known to master a quick bake in the oven in art school when he didn’t plan out his time right.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After getting his clay in the oven, watching for another minute as the oven slowly warmed up he walked to his paints &amp; dug around for his vermilion. He picked a few complementary tones, setting them down at his work table, flipping on his painting light &amp; walked back to the oven to see it reach temperature. He peeked in the window to check then grabbed his mug to fill with water for his paint. As he walked back to his work station he set everything down &amp; waited for his timer to go off, scrolling aimlessly through his twitter feed until the ding rang out. He got up, retrieved his clay from the oven &amp; investigated it, checking to see if every crevice looked good then set the tray down to cool. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Will had his process down pat, he knew he still had time to kill while it cooled &amp; so he went back to his boombox to change the playlist. He scrolled through, feeling indecisive about what to listen to while he painted. Finally he gave up &amp; just put his music back on shuffle, hoping he wouldn’t get stuck in a sad loop like the day before. The familiar intro to Love of My Life began &amp; Will smiled fondly, closing his eyes to listen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When the song finished, Will opened his eyes &amp; looked back at his project. He was anxious whether Hannibal would like it, thinking about how niche it really was to sculpt something like this for anyone especially a first date but Will was trying to stay optimistic. After another couple songs Will decided it was cool enough to paint, carefully picking up the small project &amp; toting it to his painting table. He grabbed his glasses, sitting down &amp; taking a deep breath before he started painting. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The songs started to take a turn toward the absurd, Will’s secret obsession with parody songs coming out as two Flight of the Conchords songs played back to back &amp; he had to stop painting because he was laughing. It’d been a while since he’d felt so weightless, his optimism was rare &amp; it encouraged him to do what he wanted without care of the consequences. He found himself rocking side to side, singing along when he began painting again &amp; before he knew it he was done. The project sat in front of him, a small chicken safely cradled inside of a beautiful lotus flower that Will had painted Hannibal’s favorite color. He smiled fondly, his own beggar’s clay chicken in front of him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He set the flower on a well lit spot to dry, wiping his hands on his overalls &amp; going back to clean up his paint area. After he was done cleaning he turned off his boombox &amp; headed upstairs, he still had plenty of time till he had to get ready. When he was back upstairs, Alana was sitting in the living room watching a marathon of Law &amp; Order SVU. Will went to the living room, finding himself glancing at the tv &amp; back at his roommate. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Will, been busy already?” She asked, pausing the show &amp; looking up at his paint stained overalls. Will smiled, looking down at his clothes &amp; back up at her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know me, never a clean front. How was class?” He asked, carefully sitting down on the end of the couch. Alana shrugged, held up her hand &amp; motioned ‘so-so’ before she hit play on the tv again. Will could tell she wasn’t in the mood so he joined her in watching tv, careful not to get wet paint on the couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two sat there for a few hours, Alana shaking her head at different things offering her own psychological profile of the killers on the episodes. Will just nodded along with her, he liked the show but he admittedly liked it the most whenever the hot district attorney, Barba was on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So what time is your date?” Alana asked as the credits rolled on another episode, glancing at the time on her phone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seven, I’m about to go take a shower. I’m kind of at a loss for what to wear.” Will said, standing up &amp; stretching before looking at his friend. She looked him up &amp; down, letting out a belly laugh.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You? You’re at a loss for what to wear?” She asked, barely able to hold in her laugh as she stared at his stained overalls. Will rolled his eyes &amp; started walking to his bathroom before she called after him, “Wait! Wait! I’m just kidding!” He stopped at the corner of the couch &amp; turned to look at her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I want help.” He mumbled, looking down at his feet &amp; sighing. “I wanna make a good first impression &amp; also I kinda wanna be hot.” Alana smiled wide at him, her hand grabbing his from over the couch. She held onto it tightly &amp; Will looked up to meet her eyes, a smile starting on his face. She got off the couch &amp; grabbed both sides of Will’s arms, holding onto him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be great, don’t worry. Go take a shower &amp; I’ll help you pick something out to wear.” She said, giving him a reassuring squeeze before letting him go. He nodded at her &amp; smiled back reassuringly before heading back down the hall to his bathroom. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Why is it that I can't possibly think of anything other than the scene in Ghost when someone is doing pottery. <br/>Anyway, get ready for a lil fashion montage next chapter &amp; THE DINNER!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for reading &amp; I'll see you next week</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Will Graham is a Catch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>If you had a fashion montage, what song would you use?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once he was behind the closed door, he started the water letting it warm up as he again found himself trying to pick out music to listen to. He turned on his shower speaker, letting his phone connect &amp; then scrolling through his songs. Finally he stopped on Matt and Kim picking 'Happy If You're Happy', letting the music fill up the bathroom &amp; he took off his overalls. He climbed into the shower, steam filling up the room quickly &amp; he let out a sigh as the hot water ran over him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will climbed out of the shower, toweling off &amp; looking at himself in the mirror. He debated on shaving his face, stubble lining his jaw before he decided against it knowing he’d be overly critical of his baby face. Alana knocked softly on the door, he almost didn’t hear it over his music but he cracked it open &amp; saw her standing there with clothes in her arms. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You ready to give me a fashion show?” Alana asked, smiling &amp; holding up the hangers. Will rolled his eyes, taking the hangers &amp; sighing. “Let me dry off &amp; I’ll try it on.” He closed the door, looking at himself in the mirror again before furiously toweling himself off so he could get dressed. He had about an hour before he needed to head to Baltimore where Hannibal lived but he knew he would probably leave a little earlier as a precaution so he dressed quickly, buttoning as fast as his shaky hands let him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stepped out of the bathroom in corduroy pants &amp; a striped button up, Alana shaking her head in disapproval. She handed him another batch, he sighed again before going back into the bathroom &amp; changing. This time he stepped out in a pair of nice black pants, a paisley button up that definitely wasn’t his &amp; Alana chewed on her lip. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Almost. I like the pants, simple but classy. You need a different shirt. Hold on.” She disappeared into Will’s room across the hall, he could hear her moving the contents of his closet around before she yelled out in what Will assumed was an excited sound. She rushed out, holding a white button up covered in little blue fish &amp; she grinned from ear to ear. </p>
<p>“This shirt screams you’re a catch.” She smiled at herself, handing the hanger over to her roommate. Will audibly groaned, the puns she made sometimes were really too much for Will to deal with but he took the shirt from her before he closed the door to change again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the door opened this time Alana nodded in approval, the outfit was simple but it fit Will very well &amp; she smiled at him. “Well Graham, you sure know how to clean up.” She folded her arms in front of her chest, proud of the work she’d just accomplished.</p>
<p>Will looked at her &amp; then walked to his room, standing in front of his full size mirror that leaned against the wall. He had to admit that the shirt was just well tailored to him, he did look hot albeit a little ridiculous. “Good work Bloom, you’ve done the impossible.” He looked back at her &amp; gave her an equally ridiculous thumbs up. </p>
<p>The two shared a laugh before Alana pat him on the shoulder, “I’ll let you finish getting ready just remember I wanna see you again before you leave to make final checks.” Will nodded in response, watching her leave back down the hall before reentering the bathroom to attempt to style his hair. </p>
<p>Twenty minutes later, Will had on his nicest pair of Doc Martens &amp; his favorite black tweed jacket over his fish shirt; in his hands he had a small box with the sculpture he’d made Hannibal with a plain dark red ribbon tied around it. He stopped by the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine he’d won in a raffle at work the Christmas before &amp; headed to get his final checks from Alana. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She paused her show when she heard his boots thump closer to her, her whole body turned to face him behind the couch. Will walked into the room, stopping as he saw her &amp; she motioned for him to twirl around. He sighed before giving a lackluster spin, going a little too fast &amp; she huffed. “Don’t be like that, I wanna look.” Alana gave him an earnest smile, batting her eyelashes in a silent please. Will spun slower, letting her make sure there were no loose strings or stains he could have missed before he was facing her again. </p>
<p>Alana let out a sigh, Will nervously chewing on his lip before she broke back into a smile &amp; nodded quickly. “You definitely look very hot. The boots are a nice touch, glad you cleaned them up.” Will let out his own sigh of relief &amp; smiled back at her, looking at his shiny boots. He let out a chuckle before he nodded, “Alright well I’m going to go now. Wish me luck.” He tucked the wine under his arm, opening the front door &amp; leaving as Alana yelled “Good luck Graham, hope to see you tomorrow!” after him. </p>
<p>On the other side of the door he couldn’t help but roll his eyes, getting into his car &amp; heading away from his house. He had his GPS pulled up, noting he’d be there probably twenty minutes early but he’d rather be early than late. His music was quiet in the background, his focus on the date &amp; making up best case scenarios for himself. Will knew if the opportunity presented itself that he’d probably stay the night at Hannibal’s but he knew he needed will power, he didn’t wanna come off as too easy; the little bit of time they spoke was already better than most of the conversations Will had with previous partners so it was making his judgment a little cloudy. </p>
<p>While his brain concocted scenarios out of movies, the traffic was easy on him &amp; he made it even earlier than the GPS said. He didn’t quite go to Hannibal’s house, driving past it first &amp; just staring at it; it was a lot bigger than Will had imagined, two stories &amp; a wide area around it fenced off. He drove down to the park about a block away &amp; parked, gathering himself to text Hannibal.</p>
<p>
  <em> “Hi I’ll be there very soon. Sure you don’t want me to pick anything up?” </em>
</p>
<p>Will stared at his phone then looked back down at the little gift box resting in his seat before his phone vibrated quickly in his hand.</p>
<p>
  <em> “I’m sure, thank you for asking. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”  </em>
</p>
<p>Will smiled at the message before looking off in the distance &amp; letting himself enjoy the feeling, he rarely got this excited about people or dates but these were both shaping up to be good. He sat there &amp; savored the emotions, letting some time go by so he could get to Hannibal’s house. After fifteen minutes of quiet contemplation, Will refocused &amp; pulled back up his GPS leaving the park; he didn’t need to use it but he thought it would be better for his mind to focus on. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will pulled into the driveway, parking himself in front of a garage &amp; turning off the car. He took a deep breath before he gathered his things, getting out of the car &amp; bumping the door closed with his hip. He carefully carried the gift in his pocket, the wine tucked under his arm &amp; he rang the doorbell. After a few moments Hannibal opened the sturdy wood door, he smiled warmly at Will &amp; motioned for him to come inside. Will smiled back, taking a few slow steps into the house &amp; turning back to his company. Hannibal was standing with his back to the closed door, eyes slowly looking Will up &amp; down before he made eye contact with him. </p>
<p>“You can hang up your coat here if you’d like.” He smiled, opening a small coat closet by the door. Will nodded, his face turning a little pink when he noticed the attention Hannibal’s eyes were giving him. When he’d hung his coat up, he held out the bottle of wine to Hannibal. </p>
<p>“I don’t know if this is anything you would like but I thought I’d bring it in case.” Will chuckled, smiling nervously with the bottle in his slightly shaky hand. Hannibal looked at the bottle &amp; nodded, smiling back at him. “This is a very good wine, thank you very much. I can open it if you want to follow me to the kitchen &amp; I can show you around the house.” Will nodded at him, following as he headed off down the hall. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally Will had a chance to look at Hannibal, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored three piece suit that was a deep navy blue color &amp; a blood red tie neatly placed on a white dress shirt; Will couldn’t deny how good he looked, the suit moved with him like another skin as he walked &amp; he couldn’t help but stare. When they arrived in the kitchen, Hannibal turned to Will who was still staring at his back &amp; smiled at him. Hannibal’s eyes met his date’s, a flush of pink was already spread across Will’s face. “So this is the kitchen.” He said, watching as Will looked around the room. Will noticed things he’d only ever seen in fancy magazines at work, a coffee maker he’d only ever read about &amp; he whistled under his breath. “You have an amazing kitchen, I’ve only seen one of these in a movie before.” He pointed toward his large rolling table, chuckling &amp; Hannibal smiled back at him. He uncorked the wine Will brought, pouring it into a glass decanter &amp; pouring them each a glass. Will nodded in thanks, taking a long sip &amp; watched as Hannibal actually tasted the wine the way Frederick taught at the classes at the store except, he looked way better doing it than Frederick could hope. </p>
<p>Hannibal took a few small sips, nodding &amp; looking back at Will. “Thank you again for bringing this, it’s actually one of my favorites.” Will looked at the wine &amp; smiled, shrugging. “Well that worked out well.” The two shared a small laugh before Hannibal gestured toward the entryway they’d come in, “Would you like a tour of the rest of the house?” Will nodded, taking a big swallow of wine to combat his nerves. The two walked together out of the kitchen, Hannibal gesturing toward the hallway they came in &amp; Will noticed it led to many different rooms. “I have a study, that’s where I keep most of my books.” He walked them through an open door, a small fire burning in the fireplace &amp; what Will assumed was a musical instrument in the corner; the walls were covered in books, some were older &amp; worn while others looked pristine. Will took another big gulp of wine, the out of place feeling starting to chew at him. </p>
<p>The two moved across the hall visiting most of the rooms downstairs, Will quickly finished his glass of wine when he saw Hannibal had a print of his favorite painting by Gustave Moreau hung up above his desk in his private office &amp; Hannibal moved them back to the kitchen. He poured them both a fresh glass, smiling at Will. “Dinner should be done soon if you want to sit in the dining room.” Will nodded, taking another big swig of wine before walking to where he thought the dining room might be. Hannibal let out a chuckle, watching Will stand in the hallway with a look of confusion before he turned to look at Hannibal, “Okay I thought I had it but uh, you have a lot of rooms.” He smiled weakly, face changing to a shade closer to their wine. </p>
<p>Hannibal shook his head, “Don't worry, it gets easier.” He led Will to the dining room with a hand hovering above the small of his back, Will could feel the heat from his hand through his shirt &amp; the contact had him holding tight to his wine glass. Hannibal pulled out a chair for him &amp; Will sat down, looking up at Hannibal with a smile. Hannibal was already looking right at him, his own smile on his face &amp; Will immediately felt his heart start thumping in his chest. “Thank you.” He managed to mumble, breaking the eye contact &amp; finishing his wine in one more mouthful.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>DRUNK WILLLLLLL</p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed &amp; can't wait for you to have some pure sugar fluff from dinner &lt;3</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Also here's the playlist! Includes songs I thought of while writing &amp; some that I included in the story!!<br/>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/65lxbact1sADvpg7WDevv6?si=W3WUtMfVT5KYylrytMjOvQ<br/>Love y'all see you next week!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. I'll Have What He's Having</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dinner at last &amp; all Will can think of is a certain rat who can cook.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Without a word, Hannibal took his glass back to the kitchen with him &amp; left Will to his own devices. While he was alone, Will noticed there was actually music playing very softly in the house &amp; he looked around trying to spot a speaker. Hannibal reentered with Will’s glass &amp; his own refilled &amp; the decanter, placing them on the table. He smiled again at Will, leaving quietly back to the kitchen. Will reached out &amp; grabbed his glass, not even caring he’d already had a couple he needed it. He took a small sip, trying to taste the wine like he’d seen Hannibal do &amp; for once he actually could taste a different fruit. As soon as he opened his eyes, Hannibal was walking out with two plates in hand &amp; leaned in as he placed Will’s plate in front of him. </p>
<p>Will looked down at his plate; what was in front of him was more than just dinner, this was a kind of art &amp; he almost didn’t want to eat it. Hannibal sat directly across from him, taking a sip of his own wine &amp; nodding at Will. “This is a venison entrecote with a blackberry sauce &amp; sweet potato risotto, something a little simple.” Will looked up at Hannibal, raising an eyebrow &amp; chuckling. “Your simple dish is probably more beautiful than anything I’ve ever made in my life.” Hannibal shook his head, smiling back &amp; taking another sip of his wine, his eyes staying on Will. </p>
<p>Will grabbed his fork &amp; knife, cutting out a piece of the meat in front of him. He took a bite &amp; suddenly he understood that scene in Ratatouille, he was transported back to his childhood; he &amp; his dad would always go hunting when his dad had time off, Will hadn’t thought about that in a long time but suddenly that’s all he was thinking about. The two of them sitting in the woods together, painted up &amp; waiting for the moment to strike; the times after where they’d sit in his grandpa’s house, his dad slicing up their dinner &amp; telling Will to smash up the blackberries they picked for the sauce. Hannibal watched Will chew his bite slowly, his eyes going glassy as he ate before he swallowed. Will looked up at his date, a smile glowing on his face &amp; he nodded. Hannibal smiled back at him, taking his own first bite now &amp; they sat in silence for a few minutes as they ate. </p>
<p>Finally Will piped up, “This is the first time I’ve had venison in a very long time, it’s really delicious.” Hannibal took a sniff of his wine, nodding &amp; taking a sip. “I’m glad you like it, I wasn’t sure as I know some people aren’t very fond of game meats.” Will shrugged, “My dad &amp; I used to go hunting together when I was a kid, not a lot but whenever he wasn’t gone working. I remember making something like this when I was around eight or nine, it definitely wasn’t this good.” He laughed, taking a long sip of his wine. Will didn’t talk about his dad much but the wine &amp; the company had him feeling very relaxed, as if he could tell Hannibal anything. Hannibal looked at him fondly, smiling at him. “I’m glad I could make something that makes you remember a fond time, I think that’s what food is all about. Not just the taste but the feeling you get.” Will nodded, his eyes watching as Hannibal’s expression grew warmer. He felt his cheeks getting red again &amp; focused on his plate, taking slow &amp; deliberate bites. </p>
<p><br/>“So what got you into writing?” He asked between bites, taking short looks at his date. Hannibal set his fork down, holding his wine glass instead &amp; he thought for a second. “I would say I’ve always enjoyed the morbid, I was a surgeon for a few years after I finished school but it wasn’t for me &amp; then I tried to learn psychology but decided I liked writing about people better than talking to them. So I created the ripper, an enigma of a person &amp; here I am.” He took a sip of wine &amp; set the glass back down. “What got you into art?” Hannibal taking his turn to ask Will, eating a few bites &amp; watching his date think of a response. Will let out a breathy laugh &amp; shrugged, sitting back in his chair looking back at Hannibal. They held their eye contact, Will feeling more bold as the time went by &amp; the wine continued to loosen him up. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well I’ve always liked to draw since I was a kid but I went through a lot of things before I picked up sculpting for the first time. I grew up thinking I’d be more like my dad instead I’m more like my grandpa, he was always soft spoken &amp; he could paint better than anyone else I’ve ever met. He was the one to convince me to stop trying to be something I wasn’t so that’s when I left my criminology degree behind &amp; just focused on my art. My grandpa ended up passing before I finished art school but I know he’d be happy to see I’ve always tried to be only myself.” Will let out a sad sigh, finishing his glass of wine &amp; smiling back up at his date. “Sorry, didn’t mean to drop all my personal baggage on you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hannibal shook his head, reaching his hand across the table &amp; resting it on Will’s. “Don’t be sorry, your grandfather sounded like a great man.” Will nodded but all he was thinking about now was Hannibal’s hand on his own &amp; he could feel his heart thumping loudly in his chest again. Hannibal gave his hand a light squeeze before he took his hand back, taking his last few bites. Will moved his hand back, holding it in his lap &amp; looking down at his empty plate trying to calm himself down. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hannibal poured the last bit of wine from the decanter in both of their glasses then raised his glass up to Will’s. “To fond memories.” Will clinked his glass against Hannibal’s &amp; they both finished the little bit in one sip. Hannibal rose up, “I made dessert as well. Would you be interested in more wine? I have another bottle out.” Will looked up at him, watching as he took both their plates &amp; the empty decanter in one swoop then he looked at his watch. “Only if you’d like more, I should be a little careful since I’ll have to drive home later.” Hannibal only smiled at Will as he disappeared to the kitchen again. Will slid his phone out of his pocket &amp; texted Alana.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Holy shit this is the best date I’ve ever been on.”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before she had a chance to respond Will powered his phone down, standing up &amp; peeking into the kitchen to see Hannibal plating another insanely beautiful meal this time with some kind of chocolate that Will can almost taste just from the smell. He takes his free second to try &amp; sneak down the hall, opening the closet he’d hung his jacket up in. Will took the small box from his coat pocket, quietly closing the door behind him &amp; trying to sneak back to the dining room. Hannibal was standing there with a confused expression on his face until he saw Will reenter, the smile returning. “I was worried you’d disappeared on me.” Will smiled back at him &amp; shook his head quickly, sitting back down. “I thought I could slip out &amp; grab your gift from my jacket while you were busy.” He set the small box on the table &amp; Hannibal placed his dessert in front of him, his body so close Will could feel the heat. Will was glad to see Hannibal had brought in more wine, he was going to need it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hannibal sat back down after he placed their desserts &amp; looked at the little box, “Should I close my eyes?” He asked with a crooked smile that made Will’s stomach flip &amp; his face turn dark red. “Oh it’s not really much of anything just something kind of small.” He mumbled, clearing his throat &amp; instinctively grabbing his wine glass to take a sip. Hannibal chuckled, closing his eyes anyway &amp; Will placed the box beside his date’s plate. Hannibal peeked one eye open &amp; took  the box in his hand, closing it again before he opened the box. Will watched, his anxiety rearing its head back up &amp; he started to chew on his lip. Hannibal opened his eyes once the box was open, taking the small lotus flower out &amp; staring in amazement. “I fell asleep before I got anything good but I read about beggar’s chicken &amp; thought a little chicken in a lotus sounded cute.” Will’s voice grew softer as he finished talking, taking another big sip of his wine while Hannibal continued silently staring at the small flower in his palm. It was painted a few different shades of vermillion, his favorite color &amp; the chicken on the inside was painted perfectly that Hannibal almost believed it was bought somewhere. Will continued staring at him, feeling more &amp; more anxious as the seconds passed without Hannibal’s response. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hannibal looks up at Will, seeing the anxiety plastered across his face &amp; he smiles fondly at him. “This is very beautiful Will, I love it.” Will lets out a shaky breath, smiling back &amp; chuckling. “You had me really worried for a second.” Hannibal can’t stop smiling at him, carefully setting the flower beside him &amp; giving his attention fully back to Will. “I’m sorry to keep you in suspense, I didn’t expect such a beautiful gift.” Will’s face was even darker now, verging into the darkest shade &amp; he had to look away before he passed out. Hannibal couldn’t stop a small laugh, taking a bite of his dessert &amp; letting Will calm down on his own. Finally Will looked back up, his breathing more controlled &amp; he took a bite of his own dessert. The chocolate melted in his mouth &amp; he let out a soft groan, this was absolutely the best dessert Will had ever had. He didn’t even notice he’d made the sound, Hannibal eyes growing a little wider &amp; his smile a little bigger as he watched Will eat. They ate again quietly, Will a little too into his dessert before he looked up at Hannibal. The two made eye contact again, sharing the same smile &amp; grabbing their glass to toast again. Will’s courage had resurfaced, holding his glass up first. “To an astounding first date.” Hannibal clinked his glass against Will’s &amp; smiling sheepishly as he took a sip, his own face growing a little pink. Will finished his glass in one big sip, having another bite of his dessert. “So you said you’ve known Gideon for a while?” Will asked between bites, chocolate marking the corners of his mouth &amp; looking back up at Hannibal. Hannibal nodded, setting his wine glass down &amp; leaning in closer. “Do you want to hear a story about how I scared him?” Will grinned from ear to ear, nodding &amp; leaning in closer.</p>
<p>“It  was last year at one of my dinner parties. It was around Halloween &amp; normally I don’t dress up but for some reason I felt inspired &amp; I spent a few weeks crafting a very realistic costume of the creature from the black lagoon. I didn’t tell anyone to dress up, I wanted this to be a surprise. I even hired a staff to serve hor d’oeuvres so I could hide in the backyard, Abel is a particularly nosey man &amp; he strayed away from everyone finding himself in the dining room alone. The staff had placed some of the bigger dishes on the table, he was taking his own tastes before everyone else &amp; so I came bursting through the doors,” he motioned to the doors beside the table, “and he immediately screamed, spilling his drink all over himself before he ran out of the house.” Hannibal let out a big laugh, unable to contain himself. Will joined him, laughing along &amp; imagining his boss screaming as he ran from the house; he couldn’t believe he’d been intimidated by him. </p>
<p>Hannibal’s laugh grew softer, his hand resting on his chest &amp; shaking his head. “He came back later after I had changed, I pretended I had no idea &amp; I’m sure even now he tries to pretend it never happened.” He smiled warmly; he had never been very good friends with Abel, he found him painfully obnoxious &amp; big headed. Will smiled back, he didn’t expect Hannibal to be much of a jokester &amp; that made Will like him even more. Hannibal watched as Will finished his dessert &amp; he leaned in again, Will mimicking the gesture. Hannibal carefully wiped the chocolate from Will’s mouth &amp; smiled, “Would you like to sit by the fire?” Will blushed, embarrassed he’d managed to get chocolate all over his face &amp; that Hannibal had cleaned it off for him. He nodded, sitting back in his chair &amp; wiping his face with his napkin to hide his embarrassment. Hannibal rose from the table, taking the empty plates to the kitchen &amp; returned immediately grabbing the rest of the wine along with his own glass. Will got up, following Hannibal down the hall to his study waiting as Hannibal placed his glass &amp; the decanter on a table in front of the loveseat in front of the fireplace. Hannibal added more logs, Will finally stepping in &amp; sitting down.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hehehehe dinner is finally here &amp; I spent a while researching recipes for absolutely no real reason except I am way too detailed for my own good.<br/>I hope y'all enjoyed!!</p>
<p>Get ready for more fluff because I got me a sweet tooth ;)<br/>See you next week</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. As the Sun Turns Out it's Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sit &amp; warm yourself by the fire as we fall in love.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The fire started back up, Hannibal sat next to Will leaving a little space between them. Will glanced at his date &amp; scooted to close the space, their thighs touching. He leaned into Hannibal, the wine catching up with him &amp; making his eyes grow heavy. Before he knew it, he dozed off with his head resting on his date’s shoulder. Hannibal felt himself smiling, eyes watching Will breath heavy &amp; he let him continue to sleep. A few minutes later Will twitched a little, eyes fluttering open in a confused motion before he realized where he was. He felt himself freeze up his body still pressed against the side of Hannibal &amp; he took a deep breath before he lifted his head up, meeting the same pair of eyes he’d been dreaming about. Hannibal had a sweet smile on his face, he didn’t seem to care at all that Will had fallen asleep &amp; Will couldn’t help his own smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, the wine really got to me there for a minute. It’s getting kind of late huh?” Will’s voice was soft, resting his head back on Hannibal’s shoulder. Hannibal rested his head on top of Will’s &amp; their hands met where their legs were touching, the two sharing a quiet moment. Will couldn’t stop a yawn from escaping his lips, the wine was really catching up now &amp; he realized he'd probably already drank a whole bottle on his own. Hannibal lifted his head up, thumb rubbing across Will’s hand &amp; looking over at him. “I can call you a car if you want to go but you’re more than welcome to stay here. I have a guest room.” Hannibal’s voice was quiet toward the end, expressing his own uneasy feeling of not wanting to seem too forward for Will. Will lifted his head up, meeting Hannibal’s eyes &amp; he leaned in nervously pressing their lips together in a small kiss. As their lips parted, they both smiled &amp; Will leaned in again unable to stop from kissing him this time with a little more vigor. They both leaned in this time, hands detaching for better leeway &amp; Hannibal’s hand gently held Will’s cheek. They parted again, Will letting out a breathy laugh as his face went pink &amp; Hannibal kissed his cheek. They stayed like that for a minute, Will’s head leaning into Hannibal’s hand &amp; his eyes closing. He knew he shouldn’t stay but he also knew he didn’t want to leave, he’d never felt so comfortable around someone immediately as if they’d been like this in a past life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal’s eyes couldn’t move off of Will’s peaceful expression, he couldn’t make sense of why he’d liked Will so much but while he held onto him he felt the same peaceful feeling. Finally Will opened his eyes, immediately locking eyes with Hannibal again &amp; he nodded. “If you don’t mind me staying, I would like to.” His voice was barely above a whisper but Hannibal immediately nodded, kissing Will on the cheek again. “Let me get the room ready for you, I’ll be right back.” He rubbed his thumb across Will’s cheek before he gently removed it &amp; stood up. Will watched him leave the room quietly, watching the door for a few seconds after he’d left &amp; he took his phone out of his pocket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As it powered on, he was bombarded by texts from Alana &amp; Beverly, both asking a million questions. He spent no time reading them, typing one message to Alana. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m gonna stay here tonight, no not in his bed. I’ll text you later.” </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without a pause, he turned his phone off again. He hadn’t heard Hannibal re enter the room but he was standing next to the loveseat, Will nearly jumping when he looked up from his phone. He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head at Hannibal &amp; smiling. “You really can sneak up on people. I didn’t even hear you come down the hallway.” Hannibal gave him an apologetic smile &amp; held out his hand, Will taking it without another thought. “I’ve always been told I’m very light on my feet.” He smiled, leading Will upstairs. As they got to another hallway, Hannibal motioned for Will to enter the open room in front of him, their hands detaching. Will walked inside a bedroom that was the size of his own living room, a large bed with satin sheets made up for him. He turned back to Hannibal who was standing in the doorway, closing the gap between them &amp; embracing Hannibal in a hug. Hannibal froze at first but relaxed into Will’s arms, his own wrapping around him &amp; they held each other for what seemed like a long time before Will slowly pulled away pressing their lips into a kiss. Will’s hand moved up to hold Hannibal’s face this time &amp; they were slow to pull away. Will placed his forehead on Hannibal’s letting out a slow breath before yawning again, chuckling &amp; finally pulling away from Hannibal. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you for this, really. I’m sorry I’m so tired.” Will smiled, walking to the bed &amp; sitting down to take off his boots. Hannibal was frozen in the doorway, a light shade of pink across his cheeks &amp; he curtsied awkwardly. “Don’t worry about it at all, do you need any pajamas or other clothes to sleep in?” Will was still smiling at him, feeling a little sense of accomplishment for making Hannibal the flustered one &amp; he shakes his head. “I don’t wanna trouble you, it’s not a big deal. I fall asleep in any clothes.” Hannibal nodded, “I wouldn’t want you to mess up your...fin-tastic shirt.” He says, expression neutral. Will paused &amp; let out a hearty laugh, “You’re a lot funnier than I’d imagined.” Hannibal smiles, watching as Will rubs his eyes as his laugh fades. “I’ll leave you to sleep. Good night Will, sleep well.” Will takes one more look at him, “Good night Hannibal.” Hannibal closes the door as he leaves, Will leans back down to his boots &amp; finishes untying them before sliding them off. He leaned back in the bed, the sheets were cool but they felt soft against his face &amp; he was drifting off before he knew it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will woke up about an hour later, a shiver running down his back &amp; he looked around the dark room trying to see if he had another blanket around. After getting up &amp; searching the room as quietly as he could he was empty handed, colder now that he was out of bed. He cracked open his door, trying to remember if he’d seen a blanket anywhere else. He decided he’d look in the study &amp; he started to tiptoe down the hall, keeping his ear open to make sure he didn’t wake Hannibal up. As he got close to the stairs he saw a peek of light from under the door, he wondered if that was Hannibal’s room &amp; before he could give it a second thought the door opened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hannibal was standing in the doorway, wearing what looked like a silk robe &amp; matching pants. Will froze, chuckling nervously &amp; rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, I was trying to be quiet but I got cold &amp; was going to look for a blanket.” He said quickly, looking down at his feet. “No need to apologize, I have a blanket you can borrow. I’m sorry, I usually keep the house a little cooler.” Hannibal smiled, reaching out for Will’s hand &amp; leading him into the room. Will lets out a relieved sigh as they move into the room &amp; he looks around, a similar set of sheets were on Hannibal’s bed but over the top was a deep blue comforter. Hannibal let go of Will’s hand, going to his bed &amp; moving the comforter off. “Oh you don’t have to do that. I don’t wanna steal your own blanket.” Will smiles, walking to Hannibal’s side &amp; taking his hands. They stood there for a minute, Will staring into Hannibal’s eyes &amp; he could feel his face changing colors as he opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything Hannibal spoke first in a very soft tone. “You could stay here if you want.” Will’s face continues growing darker, chewing on his lip. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t opposed to it, he really liked Hannibal &amp; right now Hannibal was shirtless in a silk robe which was undeniably hotter than Will could have imagined but he didn’t want to ruin what was happening. His brain went through the scenarios, Hannibal cleared his throat. “You don’t have to of course,” his hand cups Will’s face &amp; he softly presses his lips against his cheek, “but I’d like you to.” Will was feeling shaky in the knees, his willpower was weak but as he thought more he got more anxious that Hannibal wouldn’t be interested in him if he just hopped right into bed; a flood of past memories fueling the fire. Hannibal watched his expression, his fingers brushing Will’s curls away from his face &amp; he smiled softly. Will couldn’t help but meet Hannibal’s eyes, “Are you sure? I kind of snore really loud.” He said in a quiet voice, nerves on edge. Hannibal lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Who said I don’t snore too?” Will let out a laugh, feeling a little relief &amp; nodding. “Fair enough. Which side should I sleep on?” He asked, looking back at the bed &amp; pushing down his anxiety. Hannibal walked him to the opposite side, pulling back the blanket &amp; kissing Will on the cheek. Will smiled, climbing into the bed &amp; feeling himself sink into what was an even softer bed than the one in the guest room. He pulled the blanket up as Hannibal walked back to his side &amp; turned off his light, hanging his robe up in its usual spot beside the bed before laying down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Will laid still for a moment, facing the wall &amp; waiting for Hannibal to get comfortable. Hannibal lightly tapped him on the shoulder, Will rolling over their faces less than a few inches apart. He felt his chest thumping again, Hannibal kissing him lightly on the lips before letting out his own yawn. “Good night Will.” He whispered &amp; turned around, facing the other direction. “Good night Hannibal.” Will whispered back, rolling back to face the wall &amp; smiling to himself. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry no smut yet!!!<br/>I want them to be disgustingly cute before I get disgusting periodt</p>
<p>I have finally decided on how I'm gonna progress the story &amp; I'm so happy to be reaching so many people!!<br/>I hope everyone has been enjoying it so far, I've enjoyed writing it &lt;3<br/>See you next week</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. It's Breakfast Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's breakfast, it's breakfast time.<br/>(Obviously to the tune of Business Time by Flight of the Conchords, Will's favorite parody band)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Will woke up much later, sun peeking through the curtains &amp; a very faint sound of some cars outside. He blinked a few times &amp; yawned quietly, slowly coming into consciousness. He felt a warm breath on his neck, then a warm arm wrapped around him &amp; he turned his head just enough to see Hannibal asleep behind him. Will couldn’t stop himself from smiling before he turned his head back around &amp; placed his hand on Hannibal’s, intertwining their fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Will woke up again he was colder, the bed was empty now &amp; he rolled over in search of his companion. He sat up, yawning &amp; stretching out his stiff limbs; suddenly his senses were filled with the smell of food coming from downstairs. He got out of bed, turning on his phone &amp; walking downstairs. He took his time, phone buzzing incessantly as he received almost a hundred texts from Beverly &amp; Alana. Will doesn’t take the time to read all of them &amp; checks the last one from each. Beverly’s came with a warning.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Better drop a pin Graham or I’m calling Crawford!!!!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Will sighed, checking Alana’s message. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“How could you stay this late at a guy’s house?? Hope you aren’t dead!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes, sending them both a duplicate message.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Y’all are seriously crazy. I’m completely fine, just woke up &amp; I am alive. I will be home in a little while!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He decided he’d attach a selfie, hoping it would satisfy them for now &amp; he opens his camera; he fixes his hair best he can but eventually gives up, holding up a peace sign &amp; snaps the picture. Will was shaking his head as he attached the picture, letting out a laugh &amp; knowing he was just stoking the fire of their curiosity but he didn’t care; he was feeling a little euphoric &amp; he sent the messages without another thought. He heard a small chuckle from in front of him, looking up from his phone finally &amp; seeing Hannibal standing by the end of the stairs watching him. Will’s face immediately flushed, a smile appearing as he took in the man in front of him in his morning glow; he was wearing what looked like a handknit red sweater, ‘perfect fit of course’ Will thought to himself. He walked down the last few stairs, stopping right in front of Hannibal &amp; the older man leaned forward pressing a light kiss on his cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was about to finish cooking breakfast if you’re interested.” His voice was soft, Will’s cheek burning as he listened. He nodded, leaning forward &amp; kissing Hannibal on the lips moving just a little before pulling away. “That sounds great.” He responded in a similar tone, leaning back &amp; watching Hannibal’s own face get a little flushed. Hannibal recovered quickly, motioning for Will to follow as they headed to the kitchen &amp; pulling out a stool for Will to sit on so he could watch him cook. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Hannibal asked, filling a mug before Will could respond. He placed it in front of Will, giving him a smile before walking to a pan already sizzling on the stove. Will took a sip &amp; he was almost not surprised that the coffee was amazing, he kind of knew if Hannibal had it that it had to be good; he hadn’t been led astray yet. As he enjoyed his coffee he watched as Hannibal did the most to make them their morning meal, breaking eggs on a spatula &amp; Will can’t help smiling at him with admiration. After the morning show, Hannibal finishes up their food &amp; plates it; he lets Will help him carry some of the plates before he insisted on him sitting down. Will took the same seat from the night before, setting his mug down &amp; stretching his arms out. Hannibal returns to the room with a pitcher of juice, taking Will’s mug &amp; disappearing to the kitchen again. Will let out a chuckle when he came back with his mug, thanking his host &amp; setting it down. Hannibal sat across from him, pouring them each a glass of orange juice before nodding at Will to eat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will can’t contain the satisfaction of his first bite, smiling wide &amp; nodding back at Hannibal. “You sure know how to treat a guy.” He smiled, taking a sip of his coffee as Hannibal started eating. “I’m gonna get hooked on your cooking.” Will said as he got himself another bite, the table going quiet for a few minutes as they both ate their breakfasts just the sound of a fork or knife just taping the plate &amp; Will could hear classical music still playing very quietly from where he knew was the study. He wondered if Hannibal left the music on all the time as he was chewing, looking up at his companion; they both shared a smile, mouths full of food &amp; Will let out a chuckle shaking his head. Hannibal took a sip of his juice, “I’ve had a very good time being in your company.” He said, reaching across the table &amp; placing his hand on top of Will’s. Will swallowed his bite, smiling wide &amp; nodding as he took a big sip of coffee trying quickly to clear his mouth. “I’ve had an amazing time, seriously.” He responded, turning his hand so he could hold Hannibal’s &amp; the two sat like that staring into each other’s eyes as the swell of a stringed classical piece played in the background. Will felt almost like he was in a movie, unable to stop himself from laughing &amp; Hannibal looked at him with a curious expression. “This just feels a little filmesque, the music in the background &amp; everything.” Will’s head nodded toward the source of the sound, Hannibal letting out his own laugh &amp; nodding in agreeance. “I never thought of it like that, I just like to listen to music to help me think.” Hannibal shrugged, slowly taking his hand back to finish his plate. “I listen to music all the time too, I don’t listen to too much classical though. Might have to correct that.” He smiled, going back to his own food. They finished the meal listening to the music &amp; Hannibal cleared the table, bringing them both another mug of fresh coffee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will leaned his head into his hand, holding his mug in his free hand &amp; just staring at Hannibal with a smile on his face. Hannibal let out a chuckle, staring back at Will &amp; they enjoyed the silence between them. Will took a sip of his coffee &amp; checked his watch, it wasn’t very late in the morning but he was feeling stuffy from sleeping in his clothes &amp; he knew his friends would be more insufferable the later he was; he let out a sigh &amp; finished his coffee. Hannibal watched him as he stood up, stretching again &amp; groaning as his muscles loosened. “I hate to say it but I should probably head home. I’m feeling a little crumpled in these clothes.” He let out a laugh, looking at his wrinkled shirt &amp; Hannibal rose to stand in front of him; he gently tugged out a wrinkle &amp; smiled, “That’s okay. I suppose you should go home, I need to write today.” Will’s hand met Hannibal’s &amp; they stood close enough to feel each other’s warm breath across their lips before they kissed; it was slow &amp; both of them tasted of coffee before Will slowly pulled away, breathing a little heavier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They shared a smile, Will giving his hand a squeeze before detaching himself from his companion. “I’m gonna go grab my shoes, I’ll be right back.” Will pointed upstairs before leaving the room, walking a little quick up the stairs &amp; to the guest room where he’d left them. He laced up his shoes quickly, thumping down the stairs where Hannibal was standing in the same place as earlier but in his hand was a wrapped up parcel &amp; Will raised his eyebrows once he was in front of him. “What’s this?” He asked, pointing to the package &amp; Hannibal handed it to him with a smile. “It’s lunch for later. I figured I might as well get you hooked now.” He smiled, Will shaking his head &amp; blushing. “You didn’t have to do that, thank you.” Will kissed Hannibal on the cheek, his own cheeks flushed &amp; the two headed toward the front door. Hannibal grabbed Will’s jacket from the closet before he opened the door, following Will as he walked to his car. “I hope we can do this again sometime soon.” Hannibal said as Will loaded his lunch into the passenger side &amp; started the car before looking back at him. Will wrapped his arms around him in a hug again before he kissed him again, being quick &amp; nodding. “Absolutely. Just let me know whenever works for you &amp; I’ll be there.” The two shared a smile again before Hannibal handed Will his jacket &amp; Will climbed in the car; the older man closed the door for him &amp; they shared one more long stare before Will laughed, backing out of the driveway. Hannibal waved at him, watching as Will backed out &amp; waved back before heading home; Will saw him standing there until he was a tiny dot in the background. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will’s mind was full of euphoric joy he barely noticed the drive home until he closed in on his driveway &amp; saw Jack Crawford’s car sitting parked outside, he let out a loud sigh as he parked. He was not going to let them ruin this but he also couldn’t believe they didn’t trust him to take care of himself; he was a little forceful getting out of the car, grabbing his jacket &amp; his lunch. He walked inside, standing there &amp; staring as Jack &amp; Beverly came toward him talking too loudly at the same time he couldn’t really discern the difference. Finally they stopped, Will glaring at them before they both laughed &amp; Will rolled his eyes. “Good to see you Will, sorry Bev roped me into it when I stopped to drop some boxes of files for her. Glad you’re out there again, I’m happy for you.” Jack’s hand grabbed Will’s shoulder as he spoke, smiling at his friend before he patted him reassuringly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Will smiled back at him, “I don’t blame you for Bev’s ideas, she’s the crazy mom one. We still on for next weekend’s fishing trip?” Will purposefully avoided Beverly’s hard stare, feeling her curiosity so strong it was almost like another person was standing in the room staring at him. Jack nodded, eyes flicking between Beverly &amp; Will before he nodded. “Well...I’m just gonna head out of here. It was good seeing you guys, let me know if you need anything for those cases Bev.” Jack could sense he was no longer wanted, Alana giving him an apologetic glance from the couch where she’d been sitting waiting for the two of them to calm down so she could talk to Will. Will walked Jack over to the door, “Tell Bella I said hello, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her.” Jack nodded, giving Will another friendly smile before waving at the trio &amp; leaving. Will closed the door, leaning against it as Beverly sauntered closer to him &amp; smiled like a predator who’d just caught dinner. Alana looked between the two, clearing her throat &amp; breaking the tension. “Did you have a good time Will?” She smiled, watching Beverly lean against the wall between them &amp; tilt her head. “Yeah Will, did you have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good time</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Her voice had an edge, ‘she really is too nosey sometimes’ Alana thought to herself &amp; Will rolled his eyes at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I had an amazing time &amp; we’re gonna go out again soon. But I have this idea in my head right now &amp; I have to get it down so if you two will excuse me.” Will took a few quick strides past the two &amp; headed to his room as quick as he could while still being casual.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for posting a few days late, been having some wisdom teeth pain so I missed my weekly writing sesh.<br/>I hope you liked the little brekky &amp; finally we get to see Jack! He'll be more involved later.<br/>See you guys next week!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. They Seem Fawn of Each Other</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hannibal does ballet? I guess he really is a renaissance man.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will got to his room, closing the door &amp; sighing in relief; he quickly changed out of his clothes, climbing into his black pair of clay stained overalls &amp; his sweater before he grabbed his lunch parcel then slipped out of his room. He could faintly hear Alana scolding Beverly for being nosey before the two went back to their episode of Snapped, the familiar narrator’s voice following Will as he headed to the basement. Once he was safely downstairs he let out another sigh in relief, the smile from before spreading on his face. He put his music on shuffle, the sound of the breeze played &amp; Will smiled a little wider as he heard the sound of Mitski’s ‘Pink in the Night’. He readied his work station, finding himself singing along to his music as he walked around gathering tools &amp; supplies. He finally sat down, staring at the hunk of dark clay in front of him &amp; letting out a steady breath before he started his work. </p>
<p>Will’s mind replayed his night, the dinner was delicious &amp; even though he got wine drunk he absolutely couldn’t think of a better date he’d ever been on; the kisses they shared replayed as well, but slower &amp; Will felt his face get warm before he shook his head laughing. He would have looked crazy to anyone who didn’t know, his hands working away at the clay but his eyes vacant of his presence. As time drifted by, he kept working &amp; thinking until he heard the sound of someone coming downstairs that brought him back. He looked up from his work &amp; saw Alana standing on the last step, leaning on the railing with a smile. </p>
<p>“I texted you a little while ago but I figured you were busy. How was it last night?” She asked, walking to the chair by Will’s radio &amp; sitting down. He smiled at her, setting his tool down &amp; looking into her eyes. “I know it sounds weird but it feels like we’ve known each other for a long time, I’m so comfortable around him &amp; I just enjoyed the experience of being there. I don’t know, it’s hard to describe.” He let out a breathy laugh, looking down at the leg he was sculpting. Alana couldn’t help smiling at him, watching him as he started to flush pink. “It’s not weird, sometimes you just know. Being comfortable with a person is the most important part of a relationship if you want it to last.” Will looked up as she said relationship, face going red &amp; she let out a little laugh. “It’s the next step of course, no need to rush.” She winked at him, getting out of her chair &amp; heading back toward the stairs. “We’re gonna have lunch, are you hungry?” She asked, turning back to him &amp; he shook his head holding up his box from Hannibal. “He made me lunch actually.” His voice had a little smug tone to it &amp; she let out a chuckle, “He seems like a keeper. I’ll let you get back to it then.” Alana disappeared back upstairs, Will shaking his head but unable to stop smiling. </p>
<p>The idea in Will’s head took over again, his hands working away for a while as he continued reminiscing about his night again &amp; smiling like a fool. He worked until his stomach’s growl became too much to ignore, setting his wooden tool down &amp; heading to the sink to wash his hands. He was humming along with Hello Stranger as he scrubbed the clay off his hands, swaying with the beat &amp; chuckling to himself. He dried his hands off, walking to his stereo &amp; turning the volume down a little; Will smiled as he walked to his lunch parcel &amp; unwrapped the carefully folded napkin to reveal a glass container with a yellow curry on a bed of rice, separate containers held little fluffy breads to eat along with it. He opened it &amp; the smell wafted in his face, his mouth already starting to water before he took it to the microwave he kept downstairs to warm it up. As the food rotated, Will checked his phone &amp; saw the earlier text from Alana along with one from Hannibal. He bit on his lip holding back his grin as he opened the text, not even noticing the ding of the microwave. </p>
<p>
  <em> “I hope you’re having a good day &amp; that you enjoy your lunch. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> xx </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Hannibal” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will let out a content sigh, the smile not budging off his face &amp; he looked up to the reminder beep of the microwave; he carefully grabbed the warm dish &amp; walked to his desk, sitting down. He grabbed a spoonful, blowing the steam away &amp; not waiting before he took his first bite; the sting of heat on his tongue, the spices touching each taste bud as he ate &amp; he closed his eyes smiling. ‘Of course lunch is amazing too.’ He thought to himself, opening his eyes &amp; typing back a reply. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “You know if you were ever thinking of a career change I think chef could be in the cards for you, you’re always outdoing yourself with each dish. But yeah, I’m having a really good day. What are you up to?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will continued eating, scrolling through his unread emails as he awaited a reply from Hannibal shamelessly &amp; savoring the lunch before him. He was skimming through an email from the library when the notification dinged on his screen. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “You flatter me Will, I’m glad you’re enjoying lunch. I’m sitting down to eat now, I’ve been writing since you left.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Oh how is it going? Killed anyone yet?”  </em>
</p>
<p>Will didn’t even bother moving out of the messages, just staring until the reply came. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Can’t say, but I have had a stroke of inspiration so let’s say it’s going very well.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Mr. Secretive, you’ve peaked my curiosity now but I guess I’ll just have to wait.” </em>
</p>
<p>Will smiled, another reply popping up quickly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I guess you will. Have you kept yourself busy today as well?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will looked back at his workstation, there were a few pieces he’d finished &amp; a sketch sitting under a few rogue tools then back to his phone. </p>
<p>
  <em> “You could say that I got a stroke of inspiration too, I’ve been busy working away at it.”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I assume you’ll keep that a secret as well.” </em>
</p>
<p>Will let out a quiet laugh, taking another look at his work before typing his response. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “It would technically only be fair that way.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I understand. We’re all entitled to our own set of secrets.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “You sound like a secret agent when you say stuff like that y’know?” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “One should always be kept on their toes, Will.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Now you sound like a ballet dancer, if you are I want a lesson next time we’re together. I’m not much of a dancer.”  </em>
</p>
<p>Will finished up his lunch, taking the empty dish to the sink &amp; rinsing it out before walking to his stereo to turn the volume back up as Real Love Baby started playing; making Will sway again as he walked back to his work. His phone vibrated in his pocket, he pulled it out before he got his hands dirty again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I would love to, I enjoy dancing very much.” </em>
</p>
<p>Will shook his head, letting out a laugh as he imagined Hannibal suited up in  full ballet attire including a big tutu. </p>
<p>
  <em> “All that’s coming to mind is you in a tutu &amp; if I’m honest with you, you make it look really good.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t let himself take a second to think about it as he sent the message, he wanted to be bold but he didn’t wait for the reply. He grabbed his tools he’d set down before lunch &amp; picked up where he’d left off, his mind still allowing the ballerina Hannibal dance around.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will was absorbed again until heavy footsteps made their way downstairs, the sound of Beverly making her entrance &amp; he leaned back smiling in her direction. She finally finished her descent, making a dramatic flourish of her hands as she stepped off the stairs. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Greetings William, may I enter?” She asked in a posh accent, Will letting out a laugh as he nodded. She curtsied in response before grabbing the chair Alana had sat in earlier &amp; moving it closer to Will. She sat in front of his work, eyeballing but careful not to touch anything before she looked up at him. </p>
<p>“So how are you? I see you’ve been busy here, what made you think of this?” She pointed to the sketch beside him, not breaking her eye contact. Will smiled, looking at his sketch before he looked back at her. “Nothing in particular I think, although I wouldn’t have thought of it without feeling a little inspired.” She raised her eyebrow, “Feeling inspired huh? I guess your date was pretty successful then.” He twirled the wooden tool in his hand &amp; nodded, “Yeah, I would dare to say it was the best date I’ve ever been on.” Beverly’s eyes grew &amp; she nodded back at him, letting herself smile back at him. “Well it’s about fuckin time Graham, I told you the bad date streak couldn’t last forever.” They both laughed, Will shaking his head at her &amp; she shrugged back at him. “I only speak the truth. Anyway, am I gonna hear anything about this guy or do I have to wait till the wedding?” She smirked, watching Will’s face go pink. He flipped her off but still smiled, “It’s my little secret for now but I know you, you’ll find out soon enough.” She nodded, holding eye contact for another second before standing up. “Well I’m gonna start on dinner, be up in like 45 minutes or else.” She pointed at him before cracking a smile &amp; taking the chair back to it’s spot as she left. </p>
<p>Beverly stopped at the end of the stairs &amp; turned back to Will, giving another curtsy before turning around to ascend the stairs. He watched as she left, letting out a chuckle before he looked back to his work. Before he picked it back up, he checked his phone &amp; saw a text from Hannibal waiting for him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “It wouldn’t be the most ridiculous thing I’ve worn. Although I did intend to keep my ballet second life a secret.”  </em>
</p>
<p>Will let out a laugh &amp; pocketed his phone again, wanting to finish up a little more work before he left for dinner. The 45 minutes blew past him, his phone pulling him back into the real world as Beverly texted him &amp; he carefully moved the pieces he’d finished to a drying rack; he took the pieces he hadn’t finished &amp; found them a spot in his closed cabinet, cleaning up most of his mess before he washed his hands. As he was drying his hands, his phone buzzed a few more times &amp; he rolled his eyes as he turned off his stereo before heading upstairs to his impatient roommate. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the late post!! I've been kind of lazy lately but I'm gonna try &amp; post another chapter very soon! <br/>I've been trying to write all the time now not just one day a week. It's slow going but you know how it be.</p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed!!! See u soon :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Why Not Three Peas in a Pod?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They say three's a crowd but what do they know?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Will stopped in his room &amp; yelled down the hall, “I’m going to change, be there in a second!”</p>
<p>He fished out his home clothes, taking the time to hang up his overalls away from his clean clothes &amp; tugged on the ratty sweatpants &amp; t-shirt. He grabbed his phone from the floor &amp; headed to the dining room. He sat in his usual seat, holding up his hands as Beverly stared him down. “You know how time goes, one second it’s there &amp; next you’re 57.” He smiled, grabbing the beer she’d set out for him. She just rolled her eyes &amp; everyone started eating, Alana cleared her throat. “Well I’m not gonna be home much this week, clinicals are starting &amp; I’m trying to squeeze four weeks into two so when Margot comes I can spend all my time with her.” She smiled, looking between the two. Will looked at her with a surprised expression looking between Beverly &amp; Alana, “You’re risky...well good luck. Guess I’ll have the house to myself this week.” Beverly raised her eyebrows, a sly smile slowly spreading on her face &amp; she nodded. Alana raised an eyebrow, trying to make sense of their unspoken glances. Will shook his head, looking down at his plate &amp; eating a big bite of his pasta. The two women laughed, exchanging a smile &amp; leaving the subject alone. </p>
<p>The three ate in mostly silence, Will complimenting the food &amp; Alana explaining the clinical she was least looking forward to; the entire conversation started to go over Will’s head as did his attention span, soon he found himself thinking about Hannibal again. Almost as if on cue, his phone dinged in his pocket &amp; the room went silent. The two women found themselves exchanging another smile, watching as Will’s face flushed pink. He pretended to ignore it, taking a long swig from his beer but as he went to place the bottle down the phone dinged again. “You gonna get that?” Beverly asked, holding her fork out pointing at him. He gave her a look before grabbing his phone out &amp; staring at the notification. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I was wondering if you would like to get together soon.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “Obviously I don’t want you to feel pressured.”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will looked up from the screen to two sets of prying eyes &amp; he furrowed his eyebrows, looking back down at his phone as he tapped a reply.</p>
<p>
  <em> “I would love to, I actually have the house to myself all week &amp; want you to come by. You’ll love it.”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He moved his phone back to his pocket, finishing up his pasta &amp; beer in one big gesture. “Well I have to get up early tomorrow, it’s inventory day.” Will got up from the table, taking his dishes with him &amp; pushing his chair in. “I’ll see you guys in the morning?” He looked between the two as they smiled slyly at him, sharing a nod. “Fine, fine. Good night young William, I hope Prince Charming tells you a good night tale.” Beverly laughed, putting her attention back on Alana. Alana gave him a smile before waving as he left the room. He heard them discussing Beverly’s trip, Alana asking her about what she’d see at the convention. Will washed his plate &amp; carefully placed his bottle in the recycling bin before sneaking out one of Beverly’s ice cream sandwiches then slipping down the hallway to his room. He let out a chuckle as he closed his bedroom door &amp; took a bite of his dessert, looking at his phone screen. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Oh I will? Well I’m free Tuesday &amp; Wednesday, if that works for you.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He smiled, finishing up his dessert in two more bites &amp; sitting on his bed as he typed away. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Maybe I could cook for you, probably won’t be chef quality but we can eat outside under the stars. We have a nice setup out there, close to a little creek. I like to draw outside when it’s nice.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will picked up his mess around the room while he waited for a reply, throwing his clothes in the basket &amp; trying to fix the pile of half finished sketches on his desk. His phone dinged &amp; he snatched it off the blanket, switching the sound off. His eyes skimmed the screen &amp; he smiled. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Mm, sounds very pleasant. Just tell me when &amp; I’ll be there.”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will put his phone down on his nightstand, walking to the bathroom. He started brushing his teeth, staring at his untamed curls in the mirror. Alana stopped by the bathroom, smiling at him. “I just wanted to say he seems like a good guy &amp; you seem like you’re having a good time. Don’t worry about Bev, you know her. We’re both gonna wait till you’re ready.” Will smiled at her best he could with a toothbrush in his mouth, touching her shoulder in thanks. She left him to finish his routine &amp; he went back to fiddling with his hair. After he finished brushing his teeth, he dragged a brush through his hair &amp; managed to fix some of the mane but gave up. He turned off the bathroom light &amp; headed to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Will turned on his alarm &amp; settled into bed, trying to resist the urge to text Hannibal again. He gave up quickly, grabbing his phone &amp; typing away. </p>
<p>
  <em> “Tuesday afternoon? You can stay the night if you want.” </em>
</p>
<p>He chewed on his lip nervously, watching his screen for what he hoped would be a good reply; he was quickly rewarded, a smile slowly spreading on his face. </p>
<p>
  <em> “I would love to. Shall I go shopping for us?”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Shopping? What are you gonna buy?”  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “I guess you’ll see when I come by in the morning to Gideon’s.” </em>
</p>
<p>Will rolled his eyes but he couldn’t stop smiling, imaging their interaction &amp; shaking his head. He was still judging himself for being very cliché but he also didn’t really care, just the thought of Hannibal’s face brought a smile to his face. </p>
<p>
  <em> “Well I’m going to sleep then.” </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> “I hope you sleep well Will, I’ll see you in the morning.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will let out a big yawn, double checking his alarm &amp; turning off his bedside lamp. He grabbed his phone again &amp; typed out one more message before setting it on the table.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Good night Hannibal, I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep tight &amp; have good dreams.” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will yawned again as he rolled over, rubbing his eyes &amp; pulling the blanket up before he fell asleep quickly; the excitement of the day catching up to him.</p>
<p>His brain couldn’t stop thinking about Hannibal even when he was asleep, the face of his companion appearing in his dreams. He knew they were in the field, he felt the grass against his legs &amp; he saw Hannibal walking beside him; the sun backlit his figure as he walked past Will &amp; behind him was a mighty stag, the one Will sketched &amp; sculpted. Will stopped, feeling a breeze move his hair &amp; he closed his eyes taking in a deep breath when he opened them his alarm was blaring at him from the nightstand. He sighed, turning the sound off &amp; sitting up slowly; he rubbed his eyes, yawning &amp; looking at the clock before letting out a groan. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Will climbed out of bed, walking to the bathroom quietly &amp; washing his face; looking at his hair again &amp; resigning to letting it stay wild. He walked back to his room &amp; got dressed for work quickly, eager to make himself coffee so he could wake up.</p>
<p>As he headed down the hallway, he could hear someone in the kitchen closing up cabinets &amp; he assumed making their own coffee. He turned around the corner &amp; saw Beverly doing exactly that, although she looked much more presentable than Will. She turned &amp; nodded to him, watching the tea kettle on the stove. “Morning Will.” She sounded like she’d been awake for a while, he noticed her bag by the door. He nodded, yawning again before leaning against the counter opposite of her. </p>
<p>“My flight leaves soon, I left you a couple things to eat this week since we’ll both be gone &amp; I know how you are.” She smiled, staring at him. He smiled back at her &amp; shook his head, “You worry about me too much but thanks, I’d probably end up eating grilled cheese everyday this week.” She shook her head, letting out a chuckle &amp; grabbing the steaming kettle off the stove making her own coffee. Will found himself staring out the window again, the stag from his dreams sauntered outside in the early morning sun. He watched, his mind dulling to Beverly &amp; the room around him as he just watched. Finally he heard Beverly snapping to get his attention &amp; he broke his focus outside, looking at her with an apologetic glance. “Sorry, spaced out there for a second.” She shook her head, “And that’s why I got you stuff to make sure you eat, space cadet.” She handed him the clean aeropress &amp; he grabbed it, thanking her with a nod. </p>
<p>She left the kitchen &amp; Will made himself a cup of coffee, not letting himself get distracted this time. He closed his to-go mug as Beverly came back carrying her backpack on one shoulder, she smiled at him. “You gonna walk me out?” She asked, grabbing her other bag from the floor &amp; Will followed her out locking the door behind him. “Be safe out there &amp; don’t let them talk you into anything stupid, Jimmy already has an ass tattoo you guys don’t need to match.” He smiled, helping her load her bag into the trunk &amp; holding her door open for her. “Yeah, yeah. My ass my choice Graham, besides who do you think convinced him to get it in the first place?” She winked, climbing in &amp; closing the door. He waved to her as she started her car &amp; backed out of the driveway, getting into his own car. </p>
<p>
  <span>His trip to work was uneventful &amp; quick, the only good thing about going to work so early was beating the traffic. Will pulled into the parking lot, staring at the building &amp; then Frederick’s car before he let out a big sigh. Exactly what he wanted to do, spend the morning alone doing inventory with Frederick Chilton. He sat there for another second before finally getting out &amp; walking inside the back door. Frederick was sitting in his office, head resting on his hand as he waited for page after page to print out. Will could see he looked half asleep &amp; he hoped that’d make Frederick more bearable. He walked into the office quietly knocking on the door, waving at his manager. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I am sososososososososososo sorry for taking so long to update :(<br/>Life has been a mess lately &amp; I really haven't written much at all but I know I had to update!!<br/>Stick w me y'all, I'll get there soon enough &amp; start updating on the regular again.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Find me on twitter @piebeards<br/>The Italian is admittedly from google translate so sorry if it doesn't make sense!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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